Opinion: It’s Time for Reusable Takeout Containers 

Local and Green

Though much could be said about the Trump administration’s retreat from climate action and the disappearance of funding to state and local governments, there is still a lot we can do on a local level without needing any government action or funding.

For example, our towns are ready for a smarter, greener way to handle food takeout. Every week, thousands of single-use plastic containers from our local restaurants end up in our trash bins, destined for landfills, incinerators or our waterways. This waste is a significant contributor to our environmental and climate crisis, with landfills reaching capacity, microplastics and PFAS contamination everywhere, greenhouse gas emissions increasing, and air pollution, particularly affecting environmental justice communities. But there’s a solution gaining momentum across the country: reusable takeout container programs.

Colleges Take the Lead
A growing number of colleges and universities are trying to find more sustainable options, including reusable containers. For example, UMass Boston offers a “Green to Go” program in its dining halls, allowing students to use reusable containers for takeout meals. Students can purchase a reusable container, using the OZZI system, for a one-time fee and then exchange it for a clean one upon return. The OZZI website states that the O2GO containers are BPA-free and composed of 20-30% recycled materials. They’re labeled as #5 plastic. 

When first proposed at UMass Amherst in 2020, net savings of $265,563 over five years was projected, accounting for all costs and savings. Trash reduction was projected to be reduced by about 20 metric tons by eliminating single use containers. Carbon emissions were projected to be reduced by 100 metric tons over a five-year period from reduced transportation of trash and the manufacturing of the single-use containers. At this time, UMass Amherst has not adopted a reusable takeout system and instead encourages students to dine in rather than take food out. It also composts the compostable take-out containers that make it to a compost bin.

Restaurants are Catching Up 
While systems like that from OZZI have been rolling out at universities and institutions over the past few years, it is a bit more difficult to operationalize such a program with restaurants.  Restaurant to-go customers usually aren’t dining at the same place on a daily or weekly basis, which makes it harder for them to return the containers. Meeting the challenge, a startup called Deliver Zero (recently acquired by Minnow Technologies), has signed up 150 New York City area restaurants, often using third-party providers that collect, wash, and redistribute containers, reducing waste citywide, and has also signed Doordash and Caviar delivery services to trials of using their product. 

In Lexington, MA, LexZeroWaste is piloting a homegrown program called Zero To Go Reusable Takeout,  in cooperation with Lexington restaurants, Clean Water Action’s ReThink Disposable program and Recirclable, LLC. This program uses stainless steel take-out containers with silicone lids, in contrast to the OZZI system and many of the other reusable take-out systems that use #5 plastic. 

According to Amber Schmidt of Clean Water Action’s ReThink Disposable, the program also has a substantial presence in Newton (supported by Green Newton) and Brookline (supported by Brookline Mothers Out Front). Schmidt states, “We use a mix of containers, from stainless steel, to Preserve (a Waltham based company) and some from OZZI. We focus on eliminating single use as our priority, using the best container option based on the restaurant’s menu.”

Also, Recirclable has several locations in the Boston area that use an app service instead of the deposit system. Schmidt states, “Ultimately, the best way to get multi-restaurant involvement is through that app service”

Local Leadership: La Veracruzana Shows the Way
La Veracruzana, a local Mexican restaurant with locations in Amherst, Northampton, and Easthampton, is pioneering this change right here in the Valley. Through a partnership with the ReThink Disposable program (with the OZZI system deposit model), La Veracruzana has launched a returnable to-go container system, Diners receive the sturdy plastic containers and return them to the restaurant for cleaning and reuse. Customers have to request the service and need to pay $10 up front, as a deposit and incentive to return the container.

Our Communities Should Join In
Although stainless steel is probably a better option for reusable take-home containers, it’s time for local restaurants to follow La Veracruzana’s lead. Let’s encourage our favorite takeout spots to join or start reusable container programs. Municipalities, Chambers of Commerce, and/or non-profits can help by offering incentives, technical support, and public education, and could even encourage Green Restaurant Certification. Systems also exist for stainless steel reusable take-out, such as USEFULL. 

And doing this does not prevent us from also working to ban single-use plastic take-out containers, utensils, stirrers, straws, etc.

If other cities can make reusables work, so can we. Together, we can build a culture where convenience does not trump the cost to our planet. Let’s make reusable takeout containers the new normal in our communities. 

Darcy DuMont is a former town councilor and sponsor of the legislation creating the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee. She is a founding member of Zero Waste Amherst, Local Energy Advocates of Western MA, and a non-voting member of Valley Green Energy Working Group. She can be contacted at dumint140@gmail.com.