An increasing number of retailers are offering receipts digitally via email or text message, instead of on paper. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is launching a project to assist hospitality businesses with the switch to paperless receipt systems.

The goal is to reduce paper waste and generation of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which is used in thermal receipt papers as a color developer that emerges when heated. By helping businesses switch to paperless receipt systems, the MPCA hopes to reduce human and environmental exposure to BPA and other alternative thermal developers which haven’t been shown to be clearly superior.

BPA is toxic to aquatic species. It has been identified as a reproductive, developmental and systemic toxicant in animal studies, and mimics estrogen in the human body. Exposure to BPA has been associated with reproductive problems, obesity and diabetes in mice, and the proliferation of human breast cancer cells.

Many people avoid the use of plastics containing BPA. Though its use in slick thermal receipt papers is less well known, awareness is increasing. Preliminary research suggests that those who handle receipts as part of their employment have higher levels of BPA in their bodies than other people.

The program is currently open to Minnesota businesses and organizations in the hospitality sector, such as restaurants, resorts, and hotel groups. Participating businesses will receive assistance in assessing their current receipt paper, quantifying receipt paper use, learning about health and environmental effects of BPA, and transitioning to a paperless receipt system of their choice.

Why not just use a BPA-free paper? Switching to a different paper doesn’t help reduce overall paper waste. But more importantly, the most common substitute for BPA in thermal papers — bisphenol S, or BPS — has shown the same sort of endocrine disrupting behavior in studies as BPA. No alternative thermal paper developer is known to be safer.

To learn more about the project, or to enroll your business as a participant, visit the MPCA’s BPA in Thermal Paper Project webpage or send an email to Mark Apfelbacher (msa@stratford-companies.com).

 Are your furnace, door seals, recycling program, and lighting working at their best?  If you answered ‘I don’t know’, consider contacting RETAP.

The Retiree Environmental Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) provides no-cost, non-regulatory energy efficiency and waste reduction assessments for small businesses and institutions in Minnesota. When you have an assessment done, an experienced team of retired professionals will:

·         Analyze your utility bills

·         Visit your facility

·         Send you a report with high-priority changes and estimated financial and environmental savings

Recommendations may be simple behavior changes, maintenance improvements, or retrofits. While you are under no obligation to implement the recommendations, a high percentage of clients surveyed do implement many of them. Average savings from RETAP recommendations implemented last year is over $2,000 per client. 

Since RETAP's start in 2001, over 200 businesses and institutions – including dry cleaners, coffee shops, and fire stations – have benefited from RETAP assessments. You can too! To find out more or to request a free assessment, visit www.pca.state.mn.us/retap or contact Mike Vennewitz, RETAP Coordinator, at 612-781-1307 or mvennewitz@yahoo.com.

If you operate a commercial kitchen,  you probably use a pre-rinse spray valve to manually remove food waste using a high-pressure water spray before the dishes go into a dishwashing machine.

Here is a simple test that could save you big money:  If you can fill a one-gallon container in thirty seconds or less, you should probably invest in a new pre-rinse spray valve. Older units typically use three gallons of water a minute, while new, efficient models use just 1.28 gallons per minute (or less).  Depending on how often and how long you are using the sprayer, this difference can result in big energy and water savings. 

The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) is now offering reduced-price spray valves for $28 (typically $68 retail). There are over 20 utility rebates available throughout the state that could bring the cost closer to $15 in some areas.

“We’re always looking for smart and easy ways that people can save on their energy bills, “ says Alexis Troschinetz with CERTs. “We’ve estimated that a commercial kitchen switching to an efficient sprayer that uses it one hour a day for 350 days could save around $475 a year.”

The spray valves also couldn't be easier to install - simply turn off the water to the spray unit, unscrew the old unit, screw on the new unit, and turn the water back on! To order a unit or learn more, visit www.splash.mncerts.org.