With planes grounded, roads clear, emissions slashedand less noise and light pollution, at first it seemed the coronavirus pandemic might have an environmental benefit. But now the temporary respite is over and, as we venture back outside, it is clear that in other ways, things have got worse. Online shopping (with its excess packaging), disposable masks and gloves, the manufacture of visors and screens and an increase in takeaway food and drink have meant a boom in plastic just as people were starting to wake up to its environmental impact. The International Solid Waste Association estimates that single-use plastic has grown by up to 300% in the US. Some of it is necessary for now – the disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) that health and care workers use, for instance – but for the rest of us, if we are to live with this pandemic for the foreseeable future, it’s probably time to get into better habits. Here is some advice from experts.

As COVID-19 continues to rear its head across the U.S., food and beverage manufacturing plants have had to alter the way they do business, shifting from foodservice and restaurant-focused products to retail goods while employing lots of new technology. As a result new suppliers to the industry have popped up as well, with products including handheld and walk-through temperature scanners, temporary outdoor structures to protect employees from harsh weather conditions as they wait for temperature checks, touchless door sensors and time clocks, and plexiglass partitions to keep employees safe both on the plant floor and in the cafeteria.   AIB International launched the Pandemic Prepared Certification, the first certification standard created for the food and beverage supply chain that elevates critical planning for people, facilities, and production. The company collaborated with government, academia, international agencies, and top brands to develop the standard for the following proficiency areas: Pandemic Crisis Management, Supply Chain Management, Intermittent Operations Planning Management, Health Crisis Mitigation Measures and Management, and Pre-Requisite Program Review. Learn more at www.aibinternational.com.   Nestlé has expanded its use of augmented reality (AR) technology to remotely support its production and R&D sites as well as connect with suppliers. The company and its suppliers are using remote assistance tools, including smart glasses, 360-deg cameras, and 3-D software, to work on complex projects at its facilities around the world. Nestlé has used these various AR technologies to set up or redesign production lines and carry out vital maintenance with suppliers.

While restaurants commit to keeping staff and customers healthy by following measures outlined by the CDC during the COVID-19 crisis, the unfortunate side effect of some of those precautions has been an increase in waste.   Rachael Coccia, the plastic pollution manager at Surfrider Foundation, explains, "COVID-19 has resulted in an unnecessary and easily avoidable consequence—a spike in single-use plastic and the devastating pollution that comes with it. We see many restaurants switching to single-use; some of that is unavoidable due to the increased demand for takeout. Thankfully, there are a number of startups successfully testing models for reusable takeout.” Coccia adds, "We cannot afford to fuel one crisis while working to avert another.”   Many of San Diego’s restaurateurs have taken the initiative to reduce waste in other ways during the pandemic by selecting more eco-friendly takeout containers and reducing food waste with streamlined menus.  

QR Code Menus

  Instead of turning to disposable menus when restaurants reopened, some spots started using QR code menus that reduce waste and eliminate a touchpoint for waitstaff. Garibaldi, the new speakeasy-style alfresco bar and restaurant, opened in June with QR code menus. Other restaurants, like Hillcrest's Rusticucina, Giardino in Lemon Grove, and Cardellino in Mission Hills, have all adopted QR code menus to cut down on disposable menu waste.

Donating Surplus Food

  Restaurants were shut down without much notice at the start of the shelter-at-home order, leaving many kitchens full of food at risk of going to waste. Several local restaurants decided there was a generous solution. Executive chef and partner of Herb & Sea, Sara Harris, says, “At the start of COVID in March, I immediately thought of all the seafood, meat, and produce that would undoubtedly go bad before we were able to reopen. We sent our staff home with care packages full of ingredients but we still had items that would perish. Another restaurant in town, Ranch 45, was doing meal donations for industry workers that had been displaced.” Harris and the team donated the remaining food and Ranch 45 prepared it for out-of-work hospitality staff.  

 

Leading the Way

  The Plot, San Diego’s first zero-waste ethos restaurant, led by Jessica and Davin Waite of Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub and The Whet Noodle, haven’t taken steps back from their mission of “nothing intended for the landfill,” even during the takeout-focused pandemic. The main challenge they’ve faced so far during the pandemic has been plastic gloves. The Plot turns to Terracycle to responsibly process single-use gloves and other hard-to-recycle items.   Taking it a step further, The Plot’s main weapon against waste is targeting full use of food products. Chef Davin Waite shares that at The Plot “byproducts are treasured, not viewed as waste. The dishes would be lacking something without those additions. Total utilization isn't about pinching your nose and choking back something just because it's good for the environment.” For example, corn husk and burnt corn silk add flavor and depth to the house version of elote.

Agave Straws

  Puesto is serving straws made from agave with their cocktails, both dine-in and take away. The straws made out of organic waste from tequila production by the Sustainable Agave Company are recyclable and compostable. They naturally biodegrade within six weeks and don’t break down in liquid or get soggy like paper straws.   The best low waste cocktail choice? Puesto's fruit cart margarita mixes fruit scraps with Don Julio Blanco with a Tajín garnished rim.

 

Compostable Containers

  Since a majority of recyclable takeout containers don’t end up getting recycled, compostable takeout containers are a great solution. Barleymash uses compostable to-go products, along with plant-based cutlery and sugar cane pulp boxes. Homestead in Solana Beach cuts their compostable boxes in half to use them as plates "for here” orders or with the lid for "to go” orders. With that simple method, they have reduced their compostable box consumption by half.

reVessel

  Even better than compostable containers, ReVessel has partnered with community restaurants to provide reusable takeout containers. Six sustainably minded food businesses, who have had to shift to take out during the pandemic, quickly jumped on board with Bell’s idea. Together with owners at GOODONYA, LuckyBolt, Wild Thyme Company, Wrench and Rodent, The Plot, O’side Kitchen Collaborative, and Frontline Foods, Bell is reimagining a future of food without the waste.   Their new initiative gives meals to frontline workers who then keep the reVessel as a thank you for their service. During the program, restaurants can test their operation with reusable foodware production, hopefully allowing them to eventually break free from plastic and disposables while cutting their costs.

Takeaways on Take Out

  The responsibility for reducing waste doesn’t fall only on restaurants. Individuals can help reduce waste through some simple practices. First, when ordering takeout, ask for no plastic utensils with your order. Use QR codes to read the menu on your phone instead of asking for disposable menus. Support waste-minded restaurants and let them know that you appreciate their dedication.

They are becoming the new norm and they are trashing the planet, here’s a look at How To Dispose Of Masks And Gloves Responsibly!   The nature of human beings never ceases to amaze me. Unless you live under a rock you know the detrimental effects plastic is having on our planet.  We’ve all seen the images.   And yet we continue to harm the natural world by littering and having a complete disregard of nature and the people who clean up after us! It’s so infuriating. We can do better! And we must do better. According to a new report from ACS Publications’ Environmental Science & Technology journal, humans are globally using and disposing of an estimated 129 billion face masks and 65 billion plastic gloves every single month that we deal with COVID-19.   In a recent interview with the BBC Doug Cress, Vice President of Conservation for ocean protection organization Ocean Conservancy said:   “It’s important to understand we had a tremendously grave crisis before the pandemic even started in terms of plastic waste in the ocean. And now you can take the global pandemic. At the current rate, we’re putting a 129 billion — I’m saying billion — face masks into the environment every single month. [And] 65 billion plastic gloves into the environment every single month. A significant portion of those would be disposed of improperly and wind up in the ocean.”   “The glove or the mask that you take off and you casually disregard because you think it was safe for that day could easily be the glove or the mask that kills a whale,” Cress added.   The news is constantly filled with new reports of whales and dolphins washing ashore and dying, with necropsy results showing that consumption of plastic waste was the cause of death.   “Understand that the simple human act of indifference or of safety may have a tremendously deleterious effect on the other end,” Cress added. Gary Stokes, the co-founder of OceansAsia flagged this issue back in February when he posted photos of masks on the beach in Hong Kong stating in an interview:   “The way I see these masks in the environment is just another addition to the ever-growing marine debris crisis our oceans are facing. No better, no worse, just shouldn’t be there in the first place. I’m waiting to hear of the first necropsy that finds masks inside a dead marine animal. It’s not a question of if, but when.”   Hong Kong is not the only country seeing this harmful trend.   The Guardian reported that one French politician, Éric Pauget, who represents the Côte d’Azur, is taking some action against this waste. Pauget sent a letter to President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to understand the severity of the waste crisis that COVID-19 has brought on. There’s a worrisome health component:   “The presence of a potentially contaminating virus on the surface of these masks thrown on the ground, represents a serious health threat for public cleaners and children who could accidentally touch them.”   It’s happening here in Canada as well. Many bloggers have been documenting this disturbing trend. The obvious issues with this “COVID waste” is litter, but it’s important to note that these lightweight, ubiquitous, single-use items are made from…you guessed it.. plastic… they are synthetic, non-biodegradable materials, that take hundreds of years to break down in the environment.   I understand the need for certain types of PPE like the N95 masks in medical settings, I am not disputing that some people do need to have access to these types of items. The WHO says this about disposing of masks properly:   “Dispose of them appropriately and perform hand hygiene immediately afterwards. If medical masks are worn, appropriate use and disposal is essential to ensure they are effective and to avoid any increase in risk of transmission associated with the incorrect use and disposal of masks.”   The WHO also recommends that people who are not in health care wear a reusable cloth mask and not an N95. Cloth masks can be worn over and over again reducing the rate of single-use disposable ones. Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, voiced her approval of the growing number of Canadians wearing face masks but urged people to dispose of them properly in her June 14th statement. Tam also raised concerns over litter from face masks and disposable gloves.   “Single-use masks should be replaced as soon as they get damp, soiled or crumpled and disposed of properly in a lined garbage bin,” she said.   “Do not leave discarded masks in shopping carts or on the ground where other people may come into contact with them.” Leaving masks lying around both contribute to litter and the risk of infection for other people, Tam added.   Aside from the obvious issues with how these masks affect marine life, many of them get washed down storm drains, potentially ending up in local bodies of water (oceans, rivers, lakes, etc.) without being filtered first.   THE RIGHT WAY TO DISPOSE OF MASKS    Should people recycle masks and gloves?   There are two main reasons you should not recycle masks and gloves. First, since the single-use gloves are made of a thin film, they can get caught in the recycling machinery and slow everything down. The same goes for the elastic on the masks as well—they could get tangled up with other waste products. More isn’t always better when you’re putting the wrong thing into the recycling bin.   Most cities in Canada are asking people to dispose of these items like they would household hazardous waste because of the importance of safety for the sanitation workers—they have to touch the items during the separation process for recycling. Keeping masks and gloves out of the recycling bin keeps them safe, too.   But can single-use masks and gloves be recycled? It’s a challenge, particularly as virgin plastic is so cheaply available. “PPE [personal protective equipment] is made from a complex mix of materials that require specific machinery and techniques to recycle,” comments Stephen Clarke, head of communications at TerraCycle Europe, which has launched a new scheme to tackle the problem. “It costs more to collect, separate and recycle the PPE than the value of the resulting recycled material. If the economics don’t work, [authorities] don’t have the incentive to collect and recycle PPE.”   Since it’s mandatory to wear a mask indoors in Ontario now, a sustainable, reusable mask is by far the best option.   Reusable cloth masks — which should be washed at 60C to kill any virus particles — are just as effective when it comes to stopping the spread of Covid-19 in non-medical settings. “[For] the person on the street, the cloth masks are perfectly adequate,” says Dr Jane Greatorex, a virologist at the University of Cambridge. “We’re encouraging people to wear masks to protect others around you because you don’t know whether you’re asymptomatic; [cloth] masks stop the larger droplets from leaving you.”   Scientists are also looking at more eco-friendly alternatives to the medical masks currently on the market, with researchers at the University of British Columbia currently developing a biodegradable mask made of wood fibres. “[The masks] will be fully biodegradable, made out of just wood,” says researcher Daniela Vargas Figueroa. “We’ll be utilizing wood fibres that are fully available here in British Columbia, where we have a very sustainable forest industry.”   The World Health Organization (WHO) says you should dispose of a mask as soon as it is damp. To remove the mask: clean your hands first; remove it from behind with the ear or head strap (do not touch the front of the mask); pull the mask away from your face; discard immediately in a closed bin; wash hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.   And if you are unwell with coronavirus symptoms you should store your waste safely for 72 hours before putting it in communal or external bins.   The Worldwide Wildlife Fund (WWF) has also reported concerns about incorrect disposal, saying: “If even only 1 percent of the masks were disposed of incorrectly…this would result in 10 million masks per month dispersed in the environment. Considering that the weight of each mask is about 4 grams this would entail the dispersion of over 40 thousand kilograms of plastic in nature.”   Environmental experts say even if we put them in bins they could still end up finding their way to rivers, oceans, into the environment – or end up filling up more landfill sites – so we should just avoid single-use plastic masks where possible. You can get hold of reusable masks quite easily, we don’t want single-use plastic to become the new norm again.   The CDC has a compressive guide on how to wash your mask here.   Bottom line. Wear a mask. Make sure it’s reusable and let’s not let this boom in single-use masks become the next enemy of the environment!

PUBLISHED SUN, JUN 28 20209:15 AM EDT Emma Newburger@EMMA_NEWBURGER Amelia Lucas As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer. The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal. While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.       The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.       The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.       The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As the country re-opens after months of lockdowns, consumers and restaurants have become more dependent on single-use plastic bags, containers and utensils due to health concerns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.   Before the start of the outbreak, cities and states were making some progress on banning plastic bags, shifting away from single-use plastic — which ends up sitting in the ocean — to paper or reusable products.   But now, cities and states have delayed or rolled back those bans on plastic bags in fear that reusable products will spread disease. Many retailers are banning customers from bringing reusable bags. And municipalities are scaling back recycling operations due to health concerns.   The surge in single-use plastic is a major blow to the fight against plastic pollution, which is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade, according to a report from the World Wildlife Fund.   The problem is especially apparent in the restaurant industry and its increased reliance on food delivery services. Many restaurants, even those that were curbing plastic waste prior to the pandemic, are not limiting the amount of plastic involved in takeout orders.   For instance, popular chain Just Salad was producing reusable bowls that saved more than 75,000 pounds of plastic a year. When the pandemic hit the chain, the company immediately halted the program, shuttered restaurants and pivoted to delivery and pickup — both of which meant using only disposable packaging.   “The environmental fallout is definitely real,” said Sandra Noonan, Just Salad’s chief sustainability officer.     The shift by the salad chain is similar to that of many popular restaurants when the pandemic hit, including Starbucks and Dunkin’, which stopped letting customers use reusable mugs.   Green Restaurant Association CEO Michael Oshman said that it’s too early to predict how much more waste has been generated due to the pandemic.   But most local economies don’t have the infrastructure in place for reusable or compostable takeout packaging. And environmentalists warn the pandemic threatens to scare consumers away from reusable products just as progress was being made.   “The plastic industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity to try to convince people that single use plastic is necessary to keep us safe, and that reusables are dirty and dangerous,” said John Hocevar, ocean campaign director at Greenpeace. “The fact that neither of these things is supported by the best available science was irrelevant.”   “Exploitation of Covid-19 fears ultimately made people less safe, distracting attention from the need to focus on the risk of airborne transmission and critical measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing,” he added.   A major challenge will be reinstating zero waste policies when the pandemic finally subsides, though there is opportunity for delivery services to establish themselves as zero waste options and develop returnable or reusable systems.   But one fix could be relatively easy for restaurants to adopt: asking customers to opt in if they want plastic utensils with their pickup or delivery orders, which typically include a slew of single-use plastic products.   Just Salad implemented the change to its own online-ordering platform around the start of lockdowns and said it saved them money and reduced utensil use on those orders by 88%. The chain’s sustainability officer is talking with third-party delivery services to make the shift universal.     While Oshman urges restaurants to try to find better solutions than single-use plastics — like using disposable packaging made with high post-consumer waste — he also said that operators can look to make changes elsewhere to mitigate the environmental cost of business.   “There’s a lot of things that are still in your control still. For example, what kind of cleaners are you using to disinfect everything?” he said.   Oshman also suggested generating a QR code so customers can read the menus on their smartphones rather than disposable menus. And restaurateurs can recycle the disposable masks and gloves shed by their employees through TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycler that collects non-recyclable waste and turns it into raw materials for manufacturers.   “The delays and reversals in moving away from single use plastics are unfortunate and counterproductive, but they will be very short lived,” Hocevar said.   “As our understanding of the impacts of plastic on the health of our planet and our communities continues to grow, it is increasingly clear that we need to quickly move away from single-use plastics,” he added.

As we protect ourselves and others from the disastrous virus known as COVID-19, the same personal protective equipment we use as a guard to staying healthy is now surprisingly non-recyclable. That’s right, the numerous face masks and latex gloves that we equip ourselves with are being littered all over the grounds, as well as being thrown in recycling and trash bins only to build up waste, causing more destruction in the environment.   As an action item from World Environment Day om June 5th, the community has been assigned the task of halting the destruction of biodiversity in environments with wasteful products, and to rethink the relationship between humans and nature. Trenton-based TerraCycle, the world’s leader in innovative waste management, has come up with a big idea to encourage recycling, especially with materials that may be difficult to recycle.   TerraCycle’s Zero Waste Boxes is a great initiative and recycling solution for all types of single-use personal protective equipment that is not recyclable through traditional facilities. With the idea of placing these boxes in public places, such as grocery stores, and parks, TerraCycle believes that these waste boxes will motivate more individuals to safely and responsibly dispose of face masks, and other protective equipment, instead of sending them to the trash or tossing them on the floor.   “During this time of uncertainty, our Zero Waste Box program provides easy solutions for keeping waste out of landfills and paving the way for a greener future,” says Tom Szaky, CEO and founder of TerraCycle. “Our goal is for all consumers to engage with TerraCycle recycling programs in a safe manner.”   To recycle personal protective equipment, TerraCycle offers the following waste boxes:  

• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear Zero Waste Boxes – to recycle disposable safety gear including garments, gloves, masks, and safety glasses.
• Disposable Garments Zero Waste Box – to recycle chemical protection suits, flame resistant suits, and smocks.
• Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Box – to recycle vinyl, nitrile, and latex gloves.
• Disposable Masks Zero Waste Box – to recycle surgical and industrial face masks.

  For larger recycling options, TerraCycle offers Zero Waste Pallets as followed:  

• Safety Equipment and Protective Gear Zero Waste Pallet
• Disposable Garments Zero Waste Pallet
• Disposable Gloves Zero Waste Pallet

  Once boxes are full, they can be sent to TerraCycle where materials will be properly processed, and collected waste will be cleaned and remolded to make new products. A great way to encourage easy recycling habits, while keeping our environments healthy.   For more information, visit: www.terracycle.com.