Park City introduces reusable food container pilot program
Sep 25, 2022, 4:51 PM | Updated: 4:53 pm
PARK CITY CITY, Utah — Tossed food take-out containers could be a thing of the past for Park City as it’s launching a pilot program that reimagines the doggie bag starting Oct. 1
Six eateries partnered with the company Bold Reuse and Recycle Utah for a month-long reusable food container trial. The participating businesses are Savoury Kitchen, Deer Valley Grocery-Café, Shabu, Salt Box, Este Pizza, and Guest Haus Juicery and Café.
Jennifer Sutton owns Guest Haus. She said she aims to nourish her customers and the environment in her business practices.
“We live in this beautiful place, our winters are changing in different ways, so when you’re staring that in the face every day, you realize how important that is to your ecosystem,” Sutton explains.
She said she’s excited to be a part of the Park City Bold Reuse program.
“I think, on the whole, it’ll be a positive reaction, adoption is a different thing, and so that’s why I think it’s important for us as a business to try to educate our customers and push it as much as possible,” Sutton said.
When you order your food to-go, the box it comes in usually winds up in the trash.
Some Park City business owners are trying to end that.
They’re introducing a new practice they hope will become habit: reusable food containers.Story coming up on @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/HqhJop6l4j
— Shelby Lofton (@newswithShelby) September 25, 2022
Up to 100 people can pay $10 to subscribe to the four-week pilot program. Each participating location will be given containers made of BPA-free polypropylene no. 5 plastic, the same material used to make baby bottles.
Customers will get their container to-go, rinse it when finished, and find a drop-off location in town from the Bold Reuse app. Then, the container is sanitized and delivered back to the businesses.
“It also alleviates some of the constant ordering of to-go containers and some of the turn on that…storage is a challenge for us,” Sutton said.
She already has a glass bottle recycling program in effect and has compost containers outside of her business. She said any fees associated with the program would pay off in the long run.
“Having all of the tourists coming in and out of town, how can we create a more sustainable environment for everybody?” she said.
A representative from Bold Reuse said the company is looking to expand this program to Salt Lake City, too.
