Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites Boldly Pursues Lofty Zero Waste Goal

If you would like to learn about the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites’ zero waste program, I suggest checking with the property’s Ambassador of Cool (owner Dan King)—or maybe its Green Goddess (environmental champion Diane Schevene). Believe it or not, those are the titles the two have given themselves. Both have worked hard to push [...]

If you would like to learn about the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites’ zero waste program, I suggest checking with the property’s Ambassador of Cool (owner Dan King)—or maybe its Green Goddess (environmental champion Diane Schevene). Believe it or not, those are the titles the two have given themselves. Both have worked hard to push the property toward zero waste.Is zero waste possible in a hotel that has a full-service restaurant, 3,800 square feet of meeting space and 162 guestrooms? It is if one considers only the waste generated by staff. Because the hotel cannot control what guests bring onto the property, a goal of 100 percent zero waste will always be difficult to reach. With the help of guests who participate in recycling programs, however, the Boulder Outlook Hotel & Suites is getting very close.

More than 80 percent of the waste generated at the hotel is either recycled or composted. King is optimistic they can reach 90 percent or more. The hotel has had success for numerous reasons. First is the property’s relationship with EcoCycle-Boulder, a local nonprofit waste management company. EcoCycle takes the hotel’s food waste for composting, and also takes its recyclables. A different company takes used kitchen grease for recycling into biodiesel fuel.

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