Compostable concessions

A handful of restaurants put bins for organics collection out in public areas, but most keep the bins in the "back of the house," away from the public so the bins don't get so contaminated with non-compostable stuff. Bread & Pickle at Lake Harriet boldly tackles a new frontier: organics bins out in public areas at an outdoor concession stand. With little monitoring! Bold!

A lot of organics in the trash, unfortunately. Yup, that plastic-looking cup on the right is compostable plastic (PLA).

Organics bin looks pretty clean.

Perfect way to spend a summer day.

I thought these signs were a great idea. So people see them as they're waiting in line to order.

"Thank you to the local farmers and producers who make this menu possible." I love love love that Bread & Pickle uses grass-fed meats and local, sustainably grown and harvested ingredients. Owner Kim Bartmann is committed to these environmentally friendly/animal friendly values. Here's a fantastic piece by City Pages' Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl on why you should eat grass-fed, humanely raised meats and where to find them in burger and barbeque form in the Twin Cities. And here's a review of Bread & Pickle.

Lots of compostable-plastic cups in the trash.

Doing it the right way: grouping all three receptacles together. But as you can see from this picture: there are no signs on the top of the bins. So I think that would help people sort their waste better.

Unless you're looking at the front of the bin as you approach, this sign is easy to miss.


Strawberry ice cream cone. The ice cream comes from Sonny's and Izzy's.

My letter:

Hello Kim and Bread & Pickle, I love love love that you have composting at Lake Harriet! How wonderful of you to make that zero-waste commitment and expose thousands of visitors to organics recycling! And I love that you use grass-fed, sustainably raised and harvested local ingredients. So often we have to forgo those values if we want to eat at an outdoor concession stand, but no longer! Thank you so much for your commitment to the planet and to local food! Could you put a list of your suppliers/farms on your website? Thanks! Nancy