Headed to the Cape to put your feet in the sand and a cool drink in your hand? Haley O’Neil and Adam Gracia with CARE for the Cape and Islands and the Use Less Plastic Coalition are kicking off three initiatives to reduce single-use plastics during Plastic Free July.
Bring Your Own Cup (BYOC) Initiative
Starting in July and extending through September, businesses participating in the Bring Your Own Cup initiative will receive signage, staff tipsheets with health code guidance, tipsheets for simple order handling solutions, free social media promotion, and inclusion in an online map for participating locations. Participating businesses may see reduced costs in the purchasing of single-use containers, reduced volume of trash, increased customer loyalty through reuse discounts, and a boost in new customers drawn to environmentally focused business practices.
Are businesses allowed to fill personal cups under the Massachusetts food code?
Yes – if the cup is visibly clean, inspected by employees, and gravity-filled, avoiding cross-contamination. [Massachusetts Food Code 3-304.17].
Reusable Straws
CARE and the Use Less Plastic Coalition offer a grant for qualifying restaurants to receive a stainless-steel straw kit. Starter Kits are provided at no cost to the restaurants and include 200 straws, one soaking bin, and four caddies that seamlessly fit in most commercial dishwashers. “This is a tangible way for businesses to make the shift – a plug and play way to get a business on board to make one change,” says Interim Executive Director of CARE, Adam Gracia. “It’s also easy to collect data, because every time you run the dishwasher [with a full caddy] – that caddy of reusable straws replaced 200 single-use plastic straws.”
Participating restaurants will get to keep the straws and are requested to contribute to CARE’s case study and promotional efforts. With single-use plastic straws costing about $0.01 each, and the reusable straw kits retailing about $300, restaurants purchasing kits on their own would see a return on investment from these kits after approximately 150 full caddy washes. ($300/$0.01 = 30,000 straws. 30,000 straws/200 caddy capacity = 150 full caddies).
Click here to learn more and see if your restaurant is eligible for the grant.
Reusable Takeout Container Pilot: Forever Ware
If your morning coffee buzz has worn off and you’re looking for lunch on the go, CARE and the Use Less Plastic Coalition’s reusable takeout container pilot may be available at your favorite restaurant. Partnering with Forever Ware, CARE will cover the start-up costs and first six months of subscription fees for participating restaurants. At the end of the six months, restaurants can either continue the subscription on their own or return the containers to Forever Ware.
The pilot offers patrons an option to receive their takeout order in a reusable, stainless steel container. This opt-in program allows customers to use Forever Ware containers after creating an account and paying a refundable $5 container deposit. When ordering takeout at participating restaurants, customers provide their cellphone number to look up their account and request Forever Ware containers for their items. Customers later return the containers to a Smart Return Station dedicated collection bin at any participating restaurant. Customers are only charged if they choose not to return the container, similar to borrowing a library book.
Are businesses allowed to accept returned establishment-provided reusable takeout containers under the Massachusetts food code?
Yes – [food code section: Massachusetts Food Code under Part 4-6 (page 63) and Part 4-7 (page 66).]. With the addition of a dedicated collection bin, such as a standard bus bucket, restaurants can apply the current washing, rinsing, sanitizing, air-drying, and storage practices used for durable in-house serviceware to a reusable takeout container system.
Challenges and Assistance
The Use Less Plastic Coalition supports businesses making the switch to reusables for both economic and environmental benefits. “Given the impact of plastic [generated] from the tourism economy and a focus on sustainability on the Cape, it makes good business sense to make the switch,” says CARE for the Cape Program Manager, Haley O’Neil. “We are learning a lot of lessons along the way. We’ve heard [from businesses that] using reusables is too hard with many customers being seasonal tourists…The waste generated by tourism creates a challenge but also [demonstrates] a greater need for more reusable options.”
Need help establishing a system in your business to accept customer-provided beverage containers or implement an establishment-provided takeout containers program? Let’s get started! Call (888) 254-5525 or email info@recyclingworksma.com.
RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and delivered under contract by CET that helps businesses and institutions reduce waste and maximize recycling, reuse, and food recovery opportunities.