<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/13/reusable-packaging-the-battle-to-get-companies-to-ditch-single-use-plastics>
"For several months last year, patrons of a Seattle coffee shop called Tailwind
Cafe had the option of ordering their americanos and lattes in a returnable
metal to-go cup. They could borrow one from Tailwind, go on their way and then
at some point – perhaps a few hours later, perhaps on another day that week –
return it to the shop, which would clean it and refill it for the next person.
If the cup wasn’t returned within 14 days, the customer would be charged a $15
deposit, although even that was ultimately refundable if the cup was returned
by the end of 45 days.
But the system quickly ran into trouble. It was “overwhelming” trying to
explain the return system to every interested customer, said Tailwind’s head
chef, Kayla Tekautz. Many were hesitant to participate after learning that they
could only return the cups to Tailwind or the other drop-off location, six
miles away. Plus, Tailwind’s QR code reader kept malfunctioning, requiring
repeated visits from a mechanic. At the end of last summer, Tailwind quietly
ended the scheme. “It just didn’t work,” Tekautz said.
In an effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic, the city of Seattle
has spent the past several years encouraging local businesses to offer reusable
cups, dishes, utensils and packaging. Concertgoers at the Paramount theatre and
attenders of the Northwest Folklife festival, for example, can now order their
drinks in reusable polypropylene cups. Since 2022, students at the University
of Washington have been able to check out bright green reusable food containers
from a company called Ozzi.
These schemes are helping Seattle avoid single-use plastic and move towards a
“waste-free future,” according to the city’s reuse website. It’s a target that
is being pursued by many American cities, and at the global level too.
Disposable plastic foodware and packaging, which accounts for nearly 40% of all
plastic production, can only be phased out if there are robust, efficient reuse
systems to replace them.
But some businesses, like Tailwind, have struggled to get reusable containers
off the ground, often because of the small scale and disconnected nature of
reuse schemes. Instead of pooling resources and employing just one or two large
cleaning and logistics services, businesses have to choose between several
competing initiatives – or in some cases have created and run their own
programmes. The result is a slew of incompatible containers."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
