Tackling Restaurant Waste

A recent article is the WSJ is so impressive that we encourage everybody to take a look. The article discusses a number of startups that have set out to tackle restaurant waste, in particular, plastics. The article discusses the fact that "561 billion disposable items are used each year in the U.S. and only 8.5% of the plastic is recycled." That was before the pandemic. The pandemic has intensified the problem: "U.S. food delivery in 2020 is expected to add up to $44 billion, a nearly 42% jump over 2019." The startups mentioned in the article are attempting to tackle this problem by providing reusable containers to restaurants and consumers. While there are different models, this involves adding a small fee to deliver in reusable containers and then have some method of return. Note that this is nothing new - in Mumbai, dabbawalas have delivered hot lunches and picked up containers since the late 19th century! The article also mentions other efforts such as only supplying utensil, condiments, and straws upon request (which we have wished for for some time). These are all welcome changes and ones that we think consumers will embrace. For more information on these startups, you can check out DeliverZero, Go Box, Suppli.