DURHAM, N.C.—The biggest barrier restaurants in Durham, N.C., face in achieving “zero waste” is a lack of affordable composting and recycling options, a new study conducted at Duke University has found.Zero waste encourages the reuse of all materials. For businesses, it is often defined as diverting 90 percent of a location’s waste stream away from landfills and into other uses. For example, a restaurant can take much of its packaging, food scraps, and cardboard—items that often go into the trash—and recycle or compost those materials.The study, commissioned by the National Restaurant Association’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program and conducted by...

AUBURN, N.H.—Aquawing Ozone Injection Systems (AWOIS) LLC, Auburn, N.H., unveiled its new logo and branding scheme during “Clean 2013” in New Orleans. The new logo and brand better represent what makes Aquawing Ozone Laundry Systems unique in the marketplace. “The original logo was designed in the 1990s,” said vice president Brett Daniels. “It doesn’t accurately reflect the support and service we provide, or our level of product development and testing.” The new logo highlights a trio of water droplets and the brand—Aquawing Ozone Laundry Systems. The three droplets are arranged in the same triatomic manner as an ozone...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Scandic has been working with sustainability issues since the mid-1990s. Water, energy, waste and carbon dioxide emissions are some of the areas monitored by the Group every month, to ensure continuous improvement with respect to sustainability. Now the company is focusing on its restaurants, and has decided to replace palm oil with rapeseed and sunflower oil. Scandic’s restaurants use about 75 thousand liters of oil every year just for deep-frying. The use of palm oil has already ceased in Norway, Denmark and Finland. “Accepting our environmental and social responsibilities has always been important to us,” says Inger...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revised its Energy Star requirements for residential refrigerators and freezers. The updated requirements raise the bar for energy efficiency in these products and, for the first time, encourage manufacturers of Energy Star appliances to include optional “connected” features. These features would offer consumers more ways to reduce the energy consumption of their refrigerators and freezers, help lower their utility bills, and better protect the environment and the climate. Under the new standards, Energy Star certified refrigerators and freezers will use at least 10 percent less energy than models meeting 2014 federal...

RIPON, WIS.—UniMac, a leading provider of on-premises laundry equipment, introduces new OPTispray Rinsing Technology and ECO Cycles to the UniLinc control system. These new features reduce water use and improve time and energy savings on the UW45 and UW65 machines while producing a superior rinsing result. OPTispray is a state-of-the-art spray rinse technology that allows OPL operators to minimize water use with highly effective rinsing. The exclusive technology delivers optimized rinsing through unique bath and spray rinse intelligence, which can provide a 12 percent faster cycle rinse time and increased throughput. Superior to bath rinsing alone, OPTispray’s spray...

As someone who’s been in the laundry equipment business for more than 30 years, I can say without any doubt, that these are the most exciting times I’ve experienced. Technology in this industry has progressed to a level where it’s no longer just about throughput. Programmability and engineering have made the machines immensely important management tools. Automatic weighing systems are now adjusting water fill levels and chemical dosing to match the loads. Residual moisture technology can continually measure the dryness level of the load and step down the heat, before shutting the tumbler off when the preset moisture level has...

TOLEDO, OHIO—Betco Corp. announces the launch of Green Earth Devour Drain Gel. Green Earth Devour Drain Gel is formulated for naturally maintaining drains and odors typically found in food service applications as well as other commercial areas. The thickened gel formula clings to vertical surfaces providing better contact time than thin formulas. The pH neutral formula is safe for use on all drain pipe materials and fittings. Devour Drain Gel’s proprietary blend of natural microbes work together to digest odor causing bacteria in drains. With an easy to use applicator lid, the gel coats the pipes to prevent buildup...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Green Bull Products, Inc. as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Green Bull Drain Maintenance System provides a highly effective, non-toxic, biodegradable, bacterial grease-digesting treatment. Green Bull puts to work billions of colony-forming bacteria to digest fats, oil and grease (FOG), leaving behind water and inert carbon. Green Bull helps avoid drain back-ups and reduces build-ups in grease traps, interceptors, and sewage ejectors. Odors are neutralized at the source by reducing grease. Green Bull refills contain naturally occurring bacteria designed to treat drains on a...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN—Food waste from restaurants accounts for a large proportion of a hotel’s waste in total. Leftovers from buffets, kitchen scraps, bread and what guests leave on the side of their plates all add up to hundreds of kilos every day. Much of this food waste is thrown away unnecessarily and Scandic is now taking the next step in its work on sustainability by actively working on waste management at all its hotels. A recently completed pilot shows that, with know-how and planning, the hotels can reduce breakfast waste by more than 30 percent.By training staff, controlling purchasing and...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIF.—The industry’s first extensive, independently conducted study to determine the ability of cold-water ozone laundering to extend the useful life of linens—a major expenditure among hospitality, healthcare and numerous other institutions—reveals a resounding advantage versus traditional hot-water methods.California-based ClearWater Tech LLC recently released the results of a six-month study conducted by North Carolina State University’s Physical Testing Laboratory—College of Textiles. Dr. Jan Ballard, extension specialist and supervisor of the Physical Testing Laboratory, directed study procedures.Testing utilized EcoTex ozone technology and its application format in comparisons with traditional laundering of pillowcases and terry towels. EcoLab supplied chemicals...