Reacting to Recycling Updates

You asked and we listened! 

Above and below: Our Purchasing Coordinator Eileen meets with Evan, an Environmental Analyst from the City of Boise to review our water bottle selection. Evan gives each bottle the "crinkle test" to help determine whether or not it is recyclable under the new guidelines.

When the changes to local recycling programs were announced, a lot of our customers and staff asked what the Co-op would do about it. We were reeling like so many other businesses and individuals, trying to figure out what this meant for us and our impact on the environment. We decided to start with plastic water bottles. 

We met with Evan, the Solid Waste guru and Jami, the Sustainability Coordinator from the City of Boise to learn more about what which bottles are recyclable and which are not. Evan explained the "crinkle-test" to us as we all sat in the gazebo one Friday afternoon and gave each and every one of our bottles a squeeze. He explained that the harder plastic bottles are okay to recycle, but the flimsier, crinkly ones can become so flattened during processing that the machines sort them into the paper stream. Yikes! Our next step? Starting August 1, we will discontinue non-recyclable water bottles.

This means we are eliminating some of our options, but we feel that this is an important step in reducing our impact.  Over the course of a year, this decision means that more than 32,000 water bottles can be kept out of the waste stream. Help us make a difference by taking the time to recycle your bottles, or bringing your own reusable water bottles--it takes all of us to make a difference! (Pro Tip: plastic bottle caps can be placed in the orange energy bags).

Thanks for pushing us to be better stewards of the environment.