5 Waste Savvy Businesses

These successful local businesses have taken their waste programs to the next level

In Calgary, 88 per cent of the waste that businesses produce includes recyclable and compostable material that is easy to divert from the landfill.

Find inspiration from these five waste savvy Calgary businesses who have found easy and effective ways to make their waste programs a lot greener.

1. Fuze Salon

Fuze Salon owner Renae Franche thought she could do more with the waste generated at her salon. Hair clippings, used foil and tubes, cotton balls, and even chemical residue used to all go to the landfill. Fuze partnered with Green Circle Salons, a company that helps hair salons and spas collect, recycle and repurpose waste and divert it from landfills. Renae says the partnership has made a huge impact on her total waste.

“The program continues to make recycling a mandatory process within our business. It helps ensure we recycle everything we can.”— Renae Franche, owner, Fuze Salon

 

2. Avatara Pizza

Committed to local, organic food, strong environmental stewardship and community initiatives, it’s no surprise Avatara Pizza embraces zero waste. Owner Chris Iturbe assessed his waste needs and thought about ways to reduce his waste and bring costs down. Iturbe considered everything from eliminating and reusing food packaging and food servings to how recyclable products are disposed of.

“We’re the proudest of the compost. We reduced so much food waste. It’s easy to combine it with our household green bin because we produce so little.”— Chris Iturbe, owner, Avatara Pizza

 

3. Microcheck

Working with The City waste education team, a few simple changes at OSP Microcheck created major improvements to its recycling and composting diversion. Moira Nicholle, marketing and communications director at OSP, did a waste audit to understand the type of waste the office generated. As a result, the kitchen was outfitted with reusables. Before the change, forks, knives, cups, plates, and napkins were all disposable.

“It was costing us $75-$100 per month. Now there is no cost! This has been a cost saver and great for the environment.” Moira Nicholle, marketing and communications director, OSP Microcheck

 

4. Black Sheep Mattress Company

Black Sheep Mattress Company is at the forefront of sustainability in mattress manufacturing. Owner Christian Schmidt thinks most companies should be considering a full lifecycle analysis [of a product] and, in most cases, most things don’t have to go into the landfill.

“We try to get the most life out of our products and order the right size and right amount of materials. The small amount of extra wool or cotton we generate, we turn into small pieces of furniture stuffing or dryer balls, so we reduce waste wherever possible. Once you start thinking like this, it becomes second nature.”— Christian Schmidt, owner, Black Sheep Mattress Company

 

5. Dillon Consulting Limited

Corporate social responsibility is the overarching principle for waste programs at Dillon Consulting. Office manager Jack Wallace found that a waste audit helped Dillon understand what was going in its garbage. The audit helped the company price out different waste options and choose a program that suited its needs and budget.

“If you can include a green bin, that’s an easy way to reduce your garbage. It might cost more upfront to get a green bin, but you can reduce your garbage significantly. Once people are used to a program, it works really well.”— Jack Wallace, associate, Dillon Consulting Limited

These businesses have taken “going green” to a new level. And their success is our success!

Visit Calgary.ca/businesswaste

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