Partnering with Client Initiatives to Reduce To-Go Container Waste
Thomas Cuisine and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Explore the Ozzi Container System
In 2020, social distancing made to-go dining services a necessity within our cafés; naturally, the usage of to-go boxes increased. For example, our café within PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center was required to reduce their seated guest occupancy from 200 seats to 37. Consequently, more than 91,000 entrée to-go containers were utilized at the café in a single calendar year
Thomas Cuisine and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center reduce usage of 91,000 take out boxes by 46% year over year by offering Ozzi recyclable to-go containers.
In a recent discussion with Thomas Cuisine’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services, Amy Jansen, we learn how our foodservice teams worked closely with PeaceHealth Southwest in launching a closed-loop recycling system called Ozzi. Ozzi’s to-go containers are designed to recycle endlessly; when they become worn out, they’re sent to an Ozzi recycling center for breakdown and made into a new container. Did we mention you don’t have to wash the container after using it? Customers simply deposit the used to-go box into an Ozzi collection site in the café and receive a place-holder token for a clean container upon their next order. Originally, PeaceHealth Southwest’s goal was a 25% participation rate, which was quickly surpassed upon launching because of their generous decision to sponsor the first to-go box for participants, which cost a one-time fee of $5. Year over year, using a sustainable to-go container system has led to a 46% decrease in single-use containers at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
Closed-loop recycling programs are the gold-standard for trackable environmental accountability of recycled goods. While single-use disposables are still available, we whole-heartedly embrace this stride toward excellence with PeaceHealth SW Medical Center to reduce single-use containers
Watch the Full Interview About Reducing Environmental Footprint Through Foodservice
