As businesses prepare to reopen and begin to implement policies in line with the various recommendations from local, provincial, and national health organizations, we’ve created this resource to bring clarity to the discussion around the risks associated with reusables, and to support businesses in their efforts to remain Ocean Friendly at this time. 

Polluting industries are exploiting the insecurity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, lobbying governments for deregulation. In the United States, the plastics industry is working to overturn plastic bans, citing misinformation that single-use plastics are the most sanitary material, and making unscientific claims that reusables pose a greater risk of spreading the virus. We cannot let this same situation take hold in Canada. During this vulnerable period, we need environmental practices and policies to be strengthened, not unravelled.

Here’s what we can do on a local level to ensure that we continue to Rise Above Plastics and shift towards a circular economy!

Dispelling the Sanitary Superiority of Plastic FAQ:

Q: Have the CDC or WHO banned using reusable vessels as a safety precaution during CV-19?

A: Whilst the food service industry is encouraged to consider disposable options, the CDC also provides ample guidance for the safe management of reusables, stating that where disposables “are not feasible or desirable, ensure all non-disposable food service items are handled with gloves and washed with dish soap and hot water, or in a dishwasher.”

 

Q: Have the BC CDC and BC Restaurant Foodservices Association (BCRFA) advised against using reusable vessels as a safety precaution through CV-19?

A: The BC CDC advises retail businesses to provide single-use containers for take-out foods, and to prohibit customers from using their own containers for take-out foods. They also recommend that bulk items should not be sold unless dispensed by staff. Please note: this guidance was not issued to the Food SERVICE industry, but retail food and grocery.

Whilst BCRFA encourages operators to consider disposable options, many other strategies about minimizing risk with reusable products are offered, including contactless transfer with reusable vessels such as coffee cups.

  

Q: What can effectively kill coronavirus?

A: Soap and hot water are effective at killing coronavirus. Home and commercial dishwashers are more effective than hand washing.

 

Q: Aren’t disposables more safe?

A: Not when compared to properly washed reusables. According to studies cited by the WHO, plastic can harbor viruses for up to 3 days; disposables are subject to whatever pathogens have settled on them from manufacture, transport, inventory stocking and eventual use.

 

Q: Are reusable bags unsanitary to use, especially during this pandemic?

A: There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that properly cleaned reusable bags contribute to the transmission of COVID-19.

 

Q: Do reusable vessels pose a high risk of transmitting CV-19?

A: Neither disposables nor reusables are inherently safe. As coronavirus is primarily a respiratory pathogen, contact transmission is very unlikely; there would have to be enough viable particles on a surface  that would then need to be transferred to the mouth / nose.

Q: Aren’t consumers  more comfortable with disposables at this time?

A: Not according to customer surveys undertaken by reuse businesses such as Loop. “We’re learning that consumers are comfortable with reuse during COVID” says Tom Szaky, founder of Terracycle and Loop, “it’s still not even in the top-10 questions we get on customer service in any of the Loop deployment.” Moreover, businesses have an opportunity to build their brand and become part of the solution to the larger social and environmental issues facing our planet at this time by embracing reuse as a safer, healthier option.

Solutions to Support the Refill & Reusable Revolution

• Encourage sanitized reusable vessels that can be washed in house - staff can wear gloves and wash containers. Employees should wash their hands after removing their gloves or after handling used food service items.

• If reusable bags are not permitted in-house, purchased items can be brought outside the business and put into customer’s reusable bags.

• Provide a contactless exchange for beverages and food takeaway. You can do this by using a reusable transfer vessel, and exchanging the consumable item into the customer’s reusable vessel. This method has become popular around the world with coffee shops.

• Make use of ‘swap n go’ reusable mug network scheme, where mugs are stored and sanitised in-house. 

• Offer a container take-back program via a deposit-refund system.

• If single-use items are unavoidable, opt for back-yard compostable takeaway containers.

• Where in-house reuse-return schemes aren’t feasible, encourage takeout customers to BYO utensils and provide backyard compostable cutlery only upon request (and, ideally, for a charge.)

• We need to move forward with a total system overhaul to make using reusables a safe and convenient option. These systems are not only better for the environment, but are more sanitary, too. 

The CDC suggests protocols for safe handling of reusables when disposables are not “desirable”; we hope you agree that there are very few instances where disposables are ever desirable. Let’s keep in mind the human and environmental toll of production and disposal of single-use plastic packaging: from the communities breathing the toxic pollution from oil refineries and ethane crackers, to the frontline workers touching contaminated packaging at waste management and recycling facilities, to the communities living near landfills and incinerators, to the streets and beaches burdened by plastic waste, these are all perpetuated by the use of single-use packaging. We cannot allow our reaction to the current crisis to escalate these longer-term issues.

  

Local Business Leaders

 “Right now, we are dropping off in our own glass containers that are sanitized in a high heat dishwasher and included in our online price is a 3$ deposit fee. We are doing curtsied pick ups and cc refunds when people are done with the glass jar. We then sanitizing them prior to reusing again. It is a little more work for us, but it’s nothing in the grand scheme of making a difference in single use plastics and ensuring health and safety to our community.” 

• Kristen, The Den, Ucluelet

 

"We firmly believe that we can continue providing food and household products in a safe and sanitary manner by dispensing items into clean reusable containers. By running containers in our high heat sanitizer, we can ensure that each container meets the highest standards of hygiene. Single use items do not offer the same degree of certainty when it comes to cleanliness, as they are not necessarily sanitized during the manufacturing process, and are touched by many hands during production, packaging, and transportation. Ensuring the health of our community and our planet can be achieved with the use of clean reusable containers."

• Paula & Nairn, Zero Waste Emporium