1. Have customers bring their own bags, cups and containers to the store.
2. Switch to non-plastic plates, glasses and silverware in restaurants.
3. Switch to reusable food containers for leftovers and takeouts.
Please see the Replace Plastic Foodware Guide for selection of reusable or compostable products, and download the Cost Benefit Analysis to determine the impact on your business.
Bring Their Own
Encourage customers to bring their own bags, cups, and containers.
Switching from single-use to reuse improves customer experience, store image, store loyalty, and cost savings.
Any additional dishwashing and associated labor costs for reusables are minimal, if any.
Instead of buying food service products, you can save money and find new business opportunities. You will also save your local community money by minimizing the hauling and management of landfill waste.
See how much you can save from the switch!
Non-Plastic Foodware In-house
Switch to non-plastic plates, glasses and silverware if you serve food in your business.
The ReThink Disposable program that started in Oakland, California shows that all 251 cases of on-site dining saved $3,000 to $22,000 for switching to reusables. The participating businesses eliminated an average of 83,000 packaging items and 1,045 lbs. of waste each.
What are all the items you can switch to reusables in your place?
Reusable Food Containers for Takeouts and Leftovers
Encourage customers to bring their own reusable food containers for takeouts and leftovers.
There is a lot of confusion over items labeled as biodegreadable or compostable.
Biodegradable items can be broken down by microorganisms over time. It does not mean that the end product is not harmful or that it won’t take a long time to degrade.
Compostable items are equally not straightforward. They are supposed to produce no toxic residue. Many products are only compostable in an industrial composting facility plant with the right temperature and conditions.
Some products are labeled Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certified. That means the product has met American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards in a lab, and verified by a third party.
Compost Manufacturing Alliance (CMA) conducts field tests every year to certify products for regional facilities. Different composting facilities have their own way of composting in terms of temperature and pH, so they can accept different non-food waste. Their testing has recently included PFAS.
Newer corn-based plastic, PLA (Polylactic Acid) is certified compostable in an industrial facility. It is created through the fermentation of cornstarch, sugarcane, or sugarbeets.
While we do have compost collection in the Chicago area, much of it is geared toward food waste.
Home or naturally compostable coating with PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoates are produced in nature by bacterial fermentation of sugar or lipids) and PHB (polyhydroxybutyrate) is being researched and is expected to be available in the US in the near future. But this news has been announced years ago, so don’t hold your breath.
It’s best to use reusable non-plastic foodware whenever possible, and compost your food waste.