GreenUP! expands reusable takeout container program in Carson City restaurants
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 05/12/2022 - 8:10am
GreenUP!, an environmental education non-profit working with Carson City area businesses, is expanding their reusable take-out container program. The program launched at So Juicy, Squeeze In, and The Union in March and has since expanded to include Scoups Ice Cream & Soup Bar.
The program, called Green Box To-Go, aims to reduce waste going to landfill by professionally sanitizing, recirculating, and reusing take-out boxes. Coordinators estimate that each of their green boxes can replace 300 single use containers.
When ordering a meal to-go, customers will have the option to make a one-time subscription purchase that allows them to check containers out as many times as they like. Then they request their food be packaged in one of the reusable Green Boxes and take it with them like any other take-out box. Then all that’s left is to do is rinse the container out, drop it in one of the return boxes located at participating restaurants (Carson City locations only), and pick up a new token to exchange for a new, sanitized box the next time they want to order take out.
To promote Green Box To-Go, greenUP! will be offering a limited number of free tokens to those who sign up to the green dining district newsletter called The Clean Plate Club. The first one hundred (100) people to join will receive a coupon that can be redeemed for a token at any of the four participating restaurants.
Green Box To-Go’s promotion will run while the Green Dining District banner flies over North Carson Street (at W Telegraph), but if you miss it, not to fret! It’s meant to be affordable. The service comes at a one-time cost of $20, which grants customers the ability to check out one box at a time, with unlimited returns and check-outs, much like a library card. A four-box-at-a-time family plan is also available for $40.
Reuse is already the norm when dining at a restaurant, and in many home kitchens. greenUP! developed the program to bring reuse into the Carson City takeout sphere. For the consumer, it is an accessible, affordable way to participate in a community driven environmental project. Restaurants participate in a similar way while also reducing money spent on disposable containers.
Each restaurant was enthusiastic when offered the chance to participate. Squeeze In’s Co-Owner Shila Morris expresses that the local chain is “committed to supporting a healthy happy planet, and that means exploring ways to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly!”
Owners at other restaurants were excited by the reliable supply and cost minimization offered by Green Box To-Go. Scoups Ice Cream & Soups bar Owner, Kimberly Landry, recently agreed to be part of the reusable takeout program because of their large takeout crowd— “We’ve been a member of the Green Dining District for 3 years, and love being part of all their programs to be more sustainable,” she remarks.
Andrew Azar, the program’s coordinator, emphasizes the breadth of positive impacts that come with reusables: “As much as we’re focused on sustainability, we also want to highlight the other benefits of switching to reusable options. (Styrofoam) breaks apart and releases microplastics when you eat out of it with utensils. Our containers are robust and inert, making them safer to eat from. . . they’re made from Polypropylene, which is commonly in industrial kitchens already.”
greenUP! invites all who are interested to try Green Box To-Go and see how simple sustainable dining can be. For more information, or to purchase a token visit https://greenupnow.biz/reusable-takeout-container-pilot/.
greenUP! staffing and funding for the reusable takeout container program was made possible through the Rural Business Assistance (RuBA) community development block grant provided by the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).
About greenUP!
The Carson Street Green Dining district is a greenUP! project. greenUP! is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides environmental education for businesses helping Nevada cut down on waste, reduce valuable resource consumption and fight climate change in an environmentally safe and cost-effective manner.
Restaurants interested in joining the Carson Street green Dining District may contact info@greenupnow.biz or call 949-306-3465 to engage.
