Thomas Cuisine is committed to sustainability efforts in foodservice management. In a recent podcast interview, Thomas Cuisine’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services Amy Jansen covers Thomas Cuisine’s recycling initiative in partnership with PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center.
In 2020, when social distancing made to-go dining services a necessity within Thomas Cuisine cafés, then naturally, the usage of to-go boxes increased. For example, the café within PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center was required to reduce their seated guest occupancy from 200 seats to 37. As a result, more than 91,000 entrée to-go containers were utilized at the café in a single calendar year.
Amy explains that they saw a need to make a change to reduce waste from a cost perspective but also to support the environment. At this point, the Thome Cuisine 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 are sent to an Ozzi recycling center for breakdown and made into a new container. They are also convenient for guests in cafes. Guests 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.
Amy shares, “The most surprising thing is the overwhelming positive reaction. People are really excited about it… this is the first initiative that people get to see and feel and participate with on a very personal level.”
Closed-loop recycling programs are the gold standard for trackable environmental accountability of recycled goods. While single-use disposables are still available at cafes, Thomas Cuisine whole-heartedly encourages this sustainable effort and embraces this element in their partnership with PeaceHealth SW Medical Center.
For more information on the program, watch the full interview about reducing environmental footprint through foodservice below.
