Food Waste Focus

The problem:  Take-out customers place a unique demand on foodservice operations, requiring single-use packaging which costs operators big dollars and leads to extensive waste compared to reusable alternatives. For years there weren’t many good solutions to this problem.

The good news: Some operators (specifically, those with repeat customers and warewashing capabilities) can reduce this take-out waste by offering reusable take-out containers.

I attended a presentation at the recent NACUFS conference by Audrey Copeland (G.E.T. Enterprises) and Rita Gordish (ARAMARK Higher Education) about how this is working in colleges and universities. Here’s the process:

1. The operator sells its customers reusable clambshell containers.   These should be NSF 36 certified (a dinnerware standard).  Example: G.E.T. Enterprises’ Eco-Takeout containers.
2. Customers buy a take-out meal and return the dirty (but rinsed) container to a collection station near the cashiers at the foodservice establishment.  They receive a token or card that proves they returned a takeout container
3. When the customer needs a take-out , they present their token to the server and the food is provided in a clean reusable take-out container.

This approach allows the operator to wash and sanitize the take-outs using traditional warewashing capabilities.  The customer simply needs to return the take-out and pick up a clean one or a token each time.   This closed loop system ensures all participants “buy-in” and then each effectively owns one share in the system.

To launch this type of program, operators will need to consider:

1. Policies for handling damaged containers.
2. How to respond to lost containers (offer a discounted replacement)?
3. Decide whether to eliminate other take-out alternatives or apply a surcharges for disposable take-out containers.
4. Educate customers about leakage risks – the lack of a rubber seal on some of these reusables is what allows them to meet the NSF standards. However, it can lead to liquid leakage if the container becomes inverted during transport.
5. How to track participation.  Tokens work, but new POS advances may eliminate the need for them by automating the check-in and check-out process using ID cards.
6. Drying time for these items may take a few extra minutes.
7. How to collect the dirty reusables and keep them away from clean food?  Very doable, the process just needs to be defined.

Reusable take-outs represent an exciting industry advance. They can help operators cut costs and cut waste, and the implementation is not difficult. 

Bottom line: If you have repeat take-out customers and warewashing capabilities, you should definitely consider offering a reusable take-out container program.