Composting

Pizza Today cites that Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day. A good percentage of that pizza generates a food-soiled box. Since the box is food stained, it cannot be recycled. However, it can be composted.

At Pagliacci, we noticed a lot of our produce boxes couldn’t be recycled either. By the end of 2005, we began composting at our locations. We are able to compost these boxes and food waste. This small change in our operations has dramatically reduced our regular waste.

Many waste management companies compost yard waste and have adopted a residential food scraps program that will allow you to dispose of your food scraps at home in your yard waste container.

For more information about composting, visit City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, City of Kirkland, King County or Cedar Grove Composting. Check with your waste management company to see if you can begin composting. Most Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland and Bothell neighborhoods do have a food scraps program in place.

Here is a list of items that you may be able to compost. Verify what your waste management company will accept with your yard waste.

Food-soiled paper – pizza boxes, kitchen paper towels, cups, plates, napkins, paper take-out cartons, milk cartons, shredded paper, waxed cardboard and food-soiled paper bags

Food scraps – fruit, vegetables, bread, pasta, grains, coffee grounds, coffee filters, tea bags, meat, chicken, fish, bones, eggshells, nutshells and dairy products

Plant and wood scraps – landscape vegetation, branches under 4 feet long and 4 inches in diameter, holiday trees, plants, flowers, untreated wood, wood pallets and crates

Renewable Energy
Green Chemicals

Renewable Energy

What is renewable energy or green power? It is energy that is produced from renewable resources like wind, solar, biomass or geothermal. These resources can be used over and over again without running out. Green power reduces pollution and the production of greenhouse gasses that are associated with other fossil fuels. Buying green power is more expensive than regular power. The additional premium above the regular energy rate goes toward building or acquiring a wider range of green power resources in Washington State. To learn more about renewable energy or to sign up for green power, visit Seattle City Light or Puget Sound Energy.

At Pagliacci Pizza, we purchase green power from both Seattle City Light and Puget Sound Energy. Both of these local utilities draw energy from resources located right here in the Pacific Northwest. Key sources are Washington State dams, the Stateline Wind Project and Hanford Solar Facility.

Composting
Green Chemicals

Green Chemicals

We use several green chemicals from Ecolab.  Ecolab is steadily expanding its portfolio of “environmentally preferable” cleaning products that meet environmental attributes relating to chemistry, packaging, training, dispensing controls and other sustainability factors.  Some of the green chemicals we use include:

•  Dishwashing detergent
•  Dishwasher detergent
•  Silverware Cleaner
•  Glass Cleaner
•  Stainless Steel Cleaner
•  Floor Cleaner
•  Hand Soap

Compostable Cups

As people have become increasingly committed to protecting the environment, more attention is drawn to what makes up containers and packaging.  We have made the switch from regular paper cups to Greenware cups.  These cold cups and lids are “grown” and made in the US from natural corn materials. 

The cup is made from Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) which is a resin that is 100% renewable through annual corn harvests and fully compostable.  Starch stored in corn kernels is isolated and converted into sugars.  These sugars are fermented and separated to create the plastic called PLA. 

In ideal composting conditions, the cups will break down through heat and humidity and be completely gone in approximately 50 days.  Greenware cups have been certified 100% compostable by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute.

Composting
Renewable Energy