Case Study: Tempo Restaurant

Located in Alexandria, Virginia, Tempo restaurant was opened in 1990 by a husband and wife chef team. Mrs. Albert, a native of California, could not stand the thought of putting all of their recyclables in the trash. When she found that having the recyclables hauled away was too expensive, she decided to use the Wheeler Avenue Public Recycling Center and haul the recyclables herself.

Materials Recycled: Glass, aluminum, metal cans, plastics, newspapers, telephone books
Cost Savings: Tempo does not pay for the recyclables to be hauled away because it uses the recycling dropoff center.
Waste Reduction: Reuses tough plastic containers as allowed by the health department. Use of china and crystal in restaurant.
Buy Recycled: All paper products: toilet paper, hand towels, office paper, stationery, menus
Education: Told employees initially how to recycle. There's not much employee turnover, but the old employees explain it to any new employees.
Keys: Recycling glass alone decreases the weight and volume of waste dramatically. Restaurants also generate a lot of recyclable cardboard.
Challenges: Having a big name hauler for recycling is too expensive for a small restaurant. Hauling it yourself is especially difficult in the winter.
Hauler: C & B Trash Service
Recycled: 16,000 lbs/yr
Waste Disposed: 57,000 lbs/yr
Recycling Rate: 22%