Bye-Bye Single Use Plastic

We’re in the middle of a pandemic that’s made us put extra layers of protection between us and everything we come in contact with. That means a lot more plastic overall, and a lot more plastic food and beverage packaging for all the take-out and delivery. We’re starting to drown in plastic just as momentum was starting to build around alternatives to single use plastic packaging. It’s just a pause, I hope.

Pioneers are still forging ahead on the main strategies to reduce our reliance on producing millions of tons of fresh plastic every year; REDUCE, REPLACE, RECYCLE, AND REUSE.

I focus on REUSE in the episode - each of us can make a direct impact when it comes to reusing packaging - with the help of three entrepreneurs and a solutions designer.

Jocelyn Gaudi Quarrell, CEO and owner of GO Box talks to me about this reusable container service that made its start with food trucks in Portland.

Brian Reilly, CEO and Founder of muuse describes how their reusable model works, and shares his vision for how ”reuse” will grow beyond the network of coffee shops muuse started with.

Chris Krohn, Portfolio Lead at IDEO, a global design firm, explains what they’ve learned about how people like and you and I are responding to a Bay Area reusability pilot test across several services. He also shares his thoughts on a “pack free future.”

Brian Bauer, who leads Circular Economy & Alliances at Algramo, talks a bit about their nascent home refill delivery pilot test in Santiago, Chile.