Email Us at SeacoastNHCAN@gmail.com
Formerly SEAREI
REUSABLE SEACOAST
Reusable Container Pilot Project
CASE STUDY RELEASED
Reusable Seacoast was an eight-month pilot program that introduced reusable, returnable, double-walled, stainless steel takeout containers with silicone lids as an alternative to disposable containers in four participating restaurants in Portsmouth and Dover, New Hampshire.
Fundraising made it possible for the pilot to cover the costs for containers and tracking for four restaurants: Ceres Bakery and Ohana Kitchen in Portsmouth, and HiFi Burritos and Juniper Kitchen (formerly Roots) in Dover.
Although the pilot formally began in mid-March 2024, foundational work was initiated a year before. The pilot was designed to last six months, but fund availability allowed the pilot to provide support to the restaurants for an extra month. The pilot concluded on October 31, 2024.
Download the Reusable Seacoast case study to learn more.
Why It Matters
Protecting customers from potential contamination has the unintended consequence of not only creating massive amounts of single-use plastic and non-recyclable waste from takeout containers but also exposing customers to a host of hazardous chemicals, many of them known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. The risk of an array of chemicals leaching from food packaging into food and beverages is placing public health at risk.
Recycling is not a solution for single-use plastic. Less than 6% of plastics are recycled in the U.S. The plastics that do get recycled have higher levels of toxic chemicals than virgin plastic and can only be recycled a few times before they end up in a landfill or incinerated.
Bioplastics, or so-called "compostable" plastics, are not the solution either. They are unregulated and can include fossil fuel-based plastic as well as the same chemicals as petroleum-based plastic, are more costly for restaurants, and require an industrial facility to process the material.
The solution is reusable containers. Check out the “Reuse Wins” report from Upstream Solutions.
How It Works
The containers are tracked with a system akin to checking out library books. The customer downloads the FoodWare application on their smartphone, scans the restaurant QR code upon arrival and then scans the QR code on their container(s). The customer is responsible for returning within two weeks (reminders are sent) and can return to any of the participating restaurants. To check the containers back in, the customer once again scans the restaurant QR onsite and then scans their container QR code. Restaurants are responsible for washing and sanitizing the used containers before reuse, just as they are for in-house reusable wares.
Through the FoodWare app, there is the ability to track personal impact using a variety of metrics such as the number of single-use containers avoided and CO2 emissions saved. ​
Download the Reusable Seacoast case study to learn more.
