{"id":34446,"date":"2023-03-14T00:00:16","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T04:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cswd.net\/?p=34446"},"modified":"2023-06-14T16:33:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T20:33:11","slug":"cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cswd.net\/case-study\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/","title":{"rendered":"CSWD Spotlight on Business: Pingala Cafe and Eatery"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
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Pingala Cafe & Eatery in Burlington, VT<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just a small team trying to do the right thing\u201d \u2013 Doing the right thing is one of the mottos that Lisa Bergstr\u00f6m, co-owner and Operations Manager of Pingala Caf\u00e9 and Eatery<\/a> in Burlington, and her team live by. Pingala is a Sanskrit word that, among other things, means \u2018sun energy\u2019. The vegan food-truck-inspired eatery is laser focused on providing delicious, nourishing, affordable foods while responsibly sourcing ingredients and packaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe in looking at the whole cycle when it comes to all aspects of our business, from the food we serve to the packaging we buy,\u201d Bergstr\u00f6m said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many sustainability-minded restaurants that saw using compostable containers as the “greenest\u201d way to package their food, Pingala Caf\u00e9 invested in 100% compostable to-go containers early on. However, when CSWD announced that it would no longer accept compostable foodware<\/a> to keep plastic lookalikes out of the composting process and ensure the quality of the Green Mountain Compost<\/a> products they sell, Lisa knew Pingala and other to-go heavy restaurants would need new solutions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe needed to go back to the basics, and look at how we can reduce packaging (following \u2018Reduce, Reuse, Recycle\u2019),\u201d she told us.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Lisa (Pingala) and Ethan (CSWD) discuss their options.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Lisa worked closely with CSWD to ensure that Pingala Caf\u00e9 would be able to meet their sustainability goals in the most cost-effective way. Ethan Hausman, CSWD\u2019s Business Outreach Coordinator<\/a> consulted with Lisa to provide more background about the commercial composting process, technical guidance navigating foodware options, and resources for educating staff and customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was very encouraging to have someone to bounce ideas off of,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was great to have someone knowledgeable and equally passionate about waste so accessible to us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pingala Caf\u00e9\u2019s focus on reducing packaging meant making changes to what they served and how they served it. They started by offering more handheld food options such as sandwiches and wraps, eliminating plated items, as well as simplifying containers, using one for every menu item to reduce inventory.  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Reusable plastic cups are now the way to go for their smoothies!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Bergstr\u00f6m and her team have reduced the Caf\u00e9’s reliance on single-use products by switching to serving smoothies in reusable plastic cups.\u202f The Pingala branding on the cups includes instructions that the cups can be reused\u2014 either by customers or by the Caf\u00e9, if customers return them– or recycled. Reuse is always more environmentally friendly than recycling, and choosing cups made from polypropylene (often stamped as #5\/PP on the bottom)– a high-value plastic that is among those most likely to be recycled into new products– also benefits sustainability.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because plastics are not equally recyclable. Containers made from polystyrene (#6\/PS)–the plastic also used to make Styrofoam–will likely wind up in a landfill, even if discarded in the recycling bin, because there is so little demand for polystyrene in the marketplace. The good news is that less and less foodware is made from #6 plastic and there is a significant movement<\/a> to stop using it completely by 2025.\u202f  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is <\/em>strong demand from manufacturers for polypropylene, on the other hand, and Pingala\u2019s cups will be turned into new plastic products\u2014most likely paint cans!\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe implemented a discount system, 10% off your next smoothie, to encourage customers to bring back the plastic cup,\u201d Lisa said of the reusable smoothie cups. \u201cIt\u2019s still a growing program that needs more consumer education, but a lot of people really appreciate receiving their smoothie in a reusable cup, and\u201d she added \u201cthe branding on a slick and sturdy cup is good marketing for us.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n

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New signage helps direct customers to one waste stream (sorted by staff).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Pingala Caf\u00e9 also changed up their waste station, moving from three streams down to one. Previously they relied on customers to sort their compostable items, recycling, and trash; now, customers simply return their tray with cups, utensils, food scraps and bowls to one station. Throughout each day, the Pingala team goes above and beyond to sort through the waste, putting napkins in with food scraps and making sure any recyclables are captured separately. It has proven to be the most reliable way to ensure that their waste streams are not contaminated.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt feels really good knowing we are doing the right thing. Because at the end of the day we are a mission driven company; we do what we do to make choices that benefit the planet easy, accessible and fun by providing outrageously delicious food (served mindfully) and an all-welcoming vibe\u201d.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re just a small team trying to do the right thing\u201d \u2013…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":34448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"21767,29673,31711,21385,30535,22376","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1643,1714,1320,3],"tags":[656,1764,1763,29,28,663],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCSWD Spotlight on Business: Pingala Cafe and Eatery - CSWD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ethan Hausman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ethan Hausman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/#\/schema\/person\/95d7e58b0dcd319f438cf3b5e749e512\"},\"headline\":\"CSWD Spotlight on Business: Pingala Cafe and Eatery\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-14T04:00:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-14T20:33:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/\"},\"wordCount\":791,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/pingala-logo.png\",\"keywords\":[\"burlington\",\"foodware\",\"pingala\",\"recycling\",\"reuse\",\"zero waste\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Case Study\",\"Composting\",\"Food Waste\",\"Recycling\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cswd.net\/recycling\/cswd-spotlight-on-business-pingala-cafe-and-eatery\/\",\"name\":\"CSWD Spotlight on Business: Pingala Cafe and Eatery - 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