WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

By Arwyn Rice | Boulder Daily Camera
Published: July 23, 2007

CHEBA HUT LEADS HILL BUSINESSES TOWARD ZERO WASTE

Kelly Donahoe, left, and Zee Polidori finish a meal at Cheba Hut on University Hill. Finding corn and sugarcane products in a restaurant is to be expected. What's not expected is when the corn and sugarcane are the plates, cups and tableware.

Matt Clark-Johnson and Seth Larsen, owners of the Cheba Hut "Toasted" Subs on University Hill, started working with Eco-Cycle in January, and, by April, the marijuana-themed restaurant was certified as a zero-waste establishment.

From food waste to the containers used to store food behind the counter to the cardboard boxes that supplies arrive in, everything in the shop is composted or recycled. "We hope it's a competitive advantage and we feel like we're doing our part at the same time," Clark-Johnson said.

Cheba Hut opened for business almost two years ago and was an instant success for the co-owners, who relocated from Chicago to open the new Boulder store for Cheba Hut founder Scott Jennings. Cheba Hut's success allowed Clark-Johnson and Larsen to think beyond the basics of business survival. "As companies start doing better they need to start doing more to make their company better for the environment," Larsen said.

According to Eco-Cycle records, from the time Cheba Hut began on the path to zero waste in January to the end of June, Cheba Hut's program has saved almost 9,000 gallons of water, 7,000 kilowatt hours of energy, 80 pounds of air pollutants and 18 cubic yards of landfill. During that same time period, Cheba Hut has composted almost 10,000 pounds of material and almost 3,500 pounds of other materials. More than 20 trees have been spared by replacing paper products with corn-based products.

Cheba Hut is the first business on the Hill to achieve zero waste, Eco-Cycle composting program manager Robin Burton said. Cheba Hut joins 10 other Boulder businesses certified as zero waste companies, including Old Chicago and the Dushanbe Teahouse, according to Eco-Cycle. Hill eatery Burnt Toast is on its way toward being the second zero waste business on the Hill, Burton said.

"We're recycling everything, we just started composting," said Buddy Kring, Burnt Toast's owner. "It will be a week now. Summer is a bad time to have food waste sitting outside your back door; they seem to have a good handle on it, though."

Other locations on the Hill, including Abo's Pizza and the Sink, have made steps towards being more environmentally friendly. Barbara Huntting, owner of Abo's, will be meeting with Eco-Cycle nest week to seriously examine the possibility of going zero waste.

"Cheba has done their part in showing us composting doesn't have to be messy or smelly, it's not a pest problem," Huntting said. "The attractive part is that, basically, Boulder is a fairly aware and green city, you can't but help feel the responsibility."