June 2023
Welcome to Partners for a Clean Environment's (PACE) Food Service newsletter. PACE is your one-stop shop for business sustainability in Boulder County. This newsletter is emailed once a month to food service businesses in the City of Boulder and shares ways your business can save money and energy through sustainability and climate action initiatives.
Styrofoam Container Ban coming January 2024
Starting January 1, 2024, the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act goes into full effect, and Colorado businesses will encounter increased restrictions on Styrofoam carry-out materials.

Details:
  • Retail food establishments will no longer be allowed to provide Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene) containers for ready-to-eat food
  • Businesses that purchased Styrofoam products before January 1, 2024, may use those specific supplies until depleted
 
Local governments may charge fines for violations, with increasing severity for repeat offenses. Find more details from the Colorado General Assembly here.
 
The City of Boulder offers several incentives for businesses to invest in reusable service-wear:
  • Up to $2000 back for Reusable Solutions that best serve your business
  • Up to $1500 towards Reusable Takeout Container Services (e.g., DeliverZero or r.Cup)


Transition to reusables is just one way to support the transition to a circular economy. Learn more about the City of Boulder’s circular economy initiatives here.
RESPONSE REQUESTED - Survey on Compost Buckets
PACE is exploring a new program to help get buckets for collecting food scraps for restaurant kitchens and other back-of-house food service spaces, and we’d love your feedback! Please fill out this 3-minute survey to share your thoughts.
Reminder – Compost Guidelines have changed as of April 1
A1 Organics, the only large-scale commercial scale composting facility on the Front Range, has simplified the materials they accept from all communities along the Front Range in response to challenges with contamination. As of April 1, 2023, compost truck loads containing anything other than food scraps, plants and yard trimmings are refused by A1 and sent to the landfill (see the City’s compost guidelines and FAQ).

Please contact your waste hauler for more information, including on sorting information and contamination fees.

The following items should not be composted:
  • Compostable bags - including bags used to line bins
  • All compostable packaging and products - including certified compostable service ware
  • Paper products, like paper towels and napkins
  • Coffee filters and tea bags - please dump coffee grounds and tea leaves into the compost bin and landfill the filters
  • Pizza boxes - please landfill the greasy half of the box and recycle the clean half

Additional reminders and tips:
  • Food scraps, plants, and yard trimmings should all still be composted!
  • Remove all stickers, rubber bands, and twist ties from produce
  • Do not use any bags to contain waste in your compost bin
  • If you use a cart to collect food scraps, check out this trick (starts at 0:45) that can be used to keep your cart clean

Given these changes, now is a better time than ever to consider switching to reusables! Please visit this page to learn more about City of Boulder incentives that can help support you in this transition.
Retail Food Forum on Wednesday June 21
Boulder County Public Health is hosting a Retail Food Forum on June 21 from 1-3:30 PM at the Boulder County Recycling Center (6400 Arapahoe Rd., Boulder, CO 80303). Additional parking is also available in the southern Naropa University parking lot.

The event’s agenda includes:
  1. Networking
  2. A Recycling Center tour
  3. A presentation from us (PACE) - this will include information on compost guidelines, stormwater best practices, the upcoming Styrofoam ban, reusables incentives, and more
  4. 4.      Common violations seen during inspections
  5. 5.      Improving inspection scores and best practices for facilities
  6. 6.      Information on the restaurant association
  7. 7.      Interactive food safety training

For more information on the event, please visit this link
Refrigeration and Restaurant Equipment Grant is OPEN
PACE is excited to continue helping small businesses save energy and money by replacing outdated refrigeration and restaurant equipment with the Refrigeration and Restaurant Equipment Grant, which covers up to 70% of the costs of replacing old, inefficient equipment with new, energy-efficient models.

To be eligible for this program, businesses must meet the following criteria:
Business is located within Boulder County. Minority-owned businesses are highly encouraged to apply
  • Must be under 2,500 sq. ft.
  • In addition to restaurants and grocery stores, the Refrigeration and Restaurant Equipment Grant is open to convenience stores, liquor stores, and other operations with commercial refrigeration or food service equipment.
  • Existing equipment must be manufactured in 2005 or earlier.
  • Commercial equipment included in the grant: refrigerators, freezers, merchandisers, dishwashers, ice machines
New Electric Transportation Incentives Announced! 
The Community Access Enterprise, hosted in the Colorado Energy Office, has announced the launch of two new programs to help electrify transportation:
1.      Fleet ZERO (Zero Emission Resource Opportunity) – now open for applications to support charging infrastructure for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles. More details can be found in their press release here. Applications accepted through June 30, 2023.
2.      eCargo Bike Commercial Delivery Program – now open for applications to support eCargo bike deployment projects as a replacement for commercial delivery or fleet vehicles. More details can be found here. Applications accepted through June 20, 2023.
Free Lighting Replacement via Xcel Energy
Did you know that Xcel Energy offers FREE replacements and installation for old and inefficient lighting? Into the Wind, a local kite and toy shop that has operated on Boulder’s Pearl Street for over 40 years, recently updated their old lighting with help from PACE and Xcel Energy’s LED Tube Replacement Program. The program helped owner Dan Woolever replace all the lights on both floors of his retail space, which will now also benefit from significant energy use reductions and decreased maintenance.

The LEDs supplied by Xcel use 75% less energy than incandescent lightbulbs and can last up to 25 times longer without burning out! Woolever shared that the replacement process “was very easy and the contractor was very efficient! Our staff is happy in the bright space and the retail area looks great for our customers.”

Find out if your business qualifies by contacting a PACE advisor at info@PACEpartners.com or 303-786-7223.