Like PrAna, Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary (1227 Spruce St.) has long made efforts to reduce its trash output. It reuses biodegradable packing peanuts sent in shipments; the ones that aren’t, it sends to UPS to be re-used. Paper is used whenever possible, as is compostable plastic.
But the city’s Zero Waste Ordinance urged them on to bigger and better programs. A courier was contracted to bring materials to CHaRM. General manager Amber Graziano spent hours researching vendors who could replace plastic packaging with biodegradable materials, even for the smallest of items.
The extra effort has been worth it, Graziano said. “It fits with our mission of reclaiming our health, personally and collectively.”
Creative thinking has happened within the city itself, too. The public works department, with the help of a contractor, started recycling road materials ripped out during construction projects, such as water main replacements. The mountain of material — about 50,000 tons so far — is processed on-site, where it is stored and then re-used to rebuild the road.
It saves money two times over: the city had to pay once to dump the road waste at the landfill, and then again to buy fresh backfill. The new process saved Boulder $1.5 million in 2017 alone, said Utilities Superintendent Josh Meck.
“It’s things like that,” said Bullen, “that are not only great but innovative and save the city money. And will help us get to our ambitious 85 percent diversion by 2025.”
Tipping point: Boulder now saving more than half of trash from landfill
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