Two Albertsons stores earn 'zero waste' distinction

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. Albertsons, part of the nationwide Supervalu family of grocery stores, announced two of its Santa Barbara, Calif., stores have reached “zero waste” classification in their daily operations. Through a combination of innovative recycling programs, a food donation program and a joint organic composting program with the City of Santa Barbara, the two stores now divert all non-contaminated waste from landfills and incinerators, the company reported. In total, over 95% of all waste products from both stores are recycled, reused or composted – exceeding the 90% threshold commonly recognized as zero waste.

“Albertsons, and Supervalu as a whole, is committed to leading the way on environmental sustainability and diverting all possible waste from our Santa Barbara stores is a major accomplishment in this effort,” said Rick Crandall, director sustainability at Albertsons. “In addition to keeping waste out of our landfills, we are charting a course for the future of our stores– one that will not only help our environment and the communities we serve, but also the overall success of our business.”

The stores are located at 3943 State Street and 2010 Cliff Drive in Santa Barbara. The State Street store has reached 95.9% in total waste diversion, with Cliff Drive store achieving 95.1%. Together, the stores divert annually on average 2,074,328 pounds of waste from the landfill, including 808,200 pounds of cardboard, 27,524 pounds of plastic and 2,688 pounds of paper.