Story posted on Community Action Works website.

By Kristine Baber and Christina Dubin

Reusable Seacoast, the pilot of the first reusable takeout container system for restaurants in NH, launched in mid March. Funding from Community Action Works and local donors has made this exciting project possible.

This pilot builds upon Reusable Seacoast’s previous work with a Skip the Stuff initiative focused on working with restaurants to reduce plastic pollution by providing single-use accessories by request only. After carefully considering a number of restaurants with whom we have developed relationships over the past year and doing follow-up interviews with those meeting our criteria for participation, we selected HiFi Burrito and Roots Cafe and Juice Bar in Dover, and Ceres Bakery in Portsmouth. A fourth restaurant will be announced in the near future. The owners and managers of these restaurants share our commitment to choosing sustainable options in their businesses that will reduce plastic and plastic pollution, and they are enthusiastic about working with us.

We chose to use stainless steel, reusable containers because of our commitment to reducing plastic and the risk of the migration of toxics from plastic containers to food. Each restaurant was provided with 50 containers, signage, and return receptacles as needed. We trained staff at each restaurant in regard to using the reusable system and assisting customers. There will be no cost to customers for choosing their takeout orders in reusable containers unless the container is not returned within two weeks. If a container is not returned, there is a charge of $12. There is no cost to the restaurants for the use of containers and tracking for the six-month pilot.

We are working with Foodware to provide the containers and tracking. The process is simple. Customers download the Foodware app and set up an account. When they order from a participating restaurant, they indicate their choice of reusable containers. When they pick up their order, they scan a QR vendor code at the restaurant and the QR code(s) on the container(s) in their order. When they return the containers, they scan the vendor QR codes on the return receptacle and containers. The restaurants wash and sanitize the containers for reuse.

We are doing a soft rollout of the project to give restaurants an opportunity to integrate the system into their daily operations and help ensure success before advertising widely. On Thursday, March 21st, we presented the first public information about the pilot at the program Save Money, Protect Health, Cut Waste that the Dover (NH) Plastic Reduction Group presented in conjunction with the Dover Public Library as part of its Sustainability Series.

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