Article

How one restaurant creates zero environmental waste

Pizza Marketplace.com spoke with founder Chris LaRocca about Crushed Red's eco-friendly culture and how the company achieved its zero waste goal.

August 12, 2015 by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

Fast casual pizza concept Crushed Red, a Missouri-based restaurant, prides itself on creating zero waste. The Green Dining Alliance has recognized the brand for exceeding "industry norms for sustainable restaurant management and operations." For example, the restaurants’ light fixtures feature energy-efficient light bulbs inside recycled mason jars and is 100-percent sustainable, in part due to the fact that the company refuses to use plastic ware or paper plates.

We spoke with founder Chris LaRocca about Crushed Red's eco-friendly culture and how the company achieved its zero waste goal.

How is zero waste possible?

Chris LaRocca: Due to the fact that restaurants cannot have full control on how incoming deliveries are packaged or how guests discard of food and products, being 100 percent waste-free is not entirely possible. However, Crushed Red encourages our guests to contribute to our recycling and composting efforts.

At Crushed Red, we view our restaurants as sustainable operations. This means we create little-to-no waste on our end. Further, sustainability is a continuous journey for us. With the improvement of technology and the increased knowledge we gain through our experiences, we are able to consistently better our approach in sustainability and decrease the amount of waste we produce.

What initiatives did Crushed Red put in place to become waste-free?

Chris LaRocca: Crushed Red utilizes LED lights, recyclable batteries, paper vs plastic bags, hand dryers vs paper towels and glass bottle beverages instead of plastic. We also use compostable products from linen trays to displays and signage, real silverware and glassware in place of plasticware, washable linens, "green" chemicals, energy star rated equipment and more to keep waste at a very minimal level. Anything we purchase or decide to incorporate into and within our locations, we always first ask ourselves, "is this something we can recycle or compost?"

Crushed Red also uses voice-recognition software to keep track of which of their employees wash their hands and how often — we require that every employee washes their hands at least once an hour. The Clean Hands Hand-Washing System motivates our team to reach goals that are miles above the industry standards and encourages us to take ownership in creating a healthy and sanitary atmosphere for both our guests and the environment.

What monetary benefits has Crushed Red seen from creating zero waste?
Chris LaRocca: Our LED lighting, though a large upfront cost, saves us a notable amount of time, energy, and money because we replace and purchase our bulbs less often. Further, Ameren UE, a St. Louis based electric company, has an incentive program for businesses taking steps to become more energy efficient. Lastly, at Crushed Red, we reuse our silverware, dishes, glassware, and linens which has saved us a great deal on our paper costs and decreased guests’ waste.

What are initial steps restaurants can take to implement waste-free programs that are also affordable?
Chris LaRocca: There are a number of initial steps restaurants can take, but some affordable options include implementing reusable dishes, posting signage to create awareness for composting and recycling, purchasing large recycle bins, encouraging staff to rinse and recycle and customers to leave with Crushed Red mindset of the benefit of reducing waste in our lives. 

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