Single use food service ware has become ubiquitous, from coffee cups to takeout clam-shell containers, we are surrounded by a wide range of shapes and materials. Take-out restaurants and a range of concessions providers rely on single serve cups and food service containers, but often they find it impractical to collect, wash and re-use these containers. Therefore cheap, disposable packaging, often made from plastic, is used for a short mealtime or transport to home then discarded. While offering convenience to both vendors and their customers, these items provide a service life of minutes with an afterlife measured in centuries and extremely low recycling rates. A growing trend to address these issues are Product Service System (PSS) models in which a company offers an end-to-end solution with the convenience of single-use to the vendor and consumer without all of the waste.
Bold Reuse, based here in Portland OR, is successfully growing a PSS business providing, collecting and cleaning food and beverage service containers. The company addresses the wasteful practice of disposable items by providing durable containers to these businesses along with a service package for collection, cleaning and re-stocking of the containers.
Some clients purchase their own specialty inventory while others borrow containers from Bold Reuse. Consumers at takeout restaurants pay a $1-2 deposit in their food order, which is then served in re-usable containers, once they are finished, the containers can be deposited into dedicated bins at any business in the Bold Reuse network, customer deposits are refunded, and the container begins it’s re-use cycle. Bold Reuse empties the bins on a weekly basis, then bring the containers back to their cleaning facility and deliver fresh containers to maintain the businesses inventory. In addition to the container service, the company tracks use cycles, providing businesses with data on their waste diversion rate and GHG savings.
At their current scale Bold Reuse service package is generally more expensive per meal or drink than the conventional, linear disposal model which can be a barrier to adoption. To address this challenge the company has been developing a sponsored re-use approach at large venues such as music and sports stadiums, where corporate sponsors can subsidize the program and add their logo to the containers.
Creative solutions and customer education are critical to facilitating a change in linear consumption practices and transitioning to a circular economy. Bold Reuse is a great example of a business thinking outside of the box to disrupt the status quo.
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