Fresh St. Market becomes First Grocer in Canada to Partner with Zero-Waste Packaging Platform Reusables.com

Vancouver House Fresh St. Market added to list of restaurant businesses using container-sharing platform

October 13, 2021, Burnaby, B.C. – Starting on October 18^th, Fresh St. Market will become the first grocer in Canada to offer takeout packaging from Reusables.com (Reusables), the container-sharing platform for zero-waste takeout, at their Vancouver House location. Created specifically for the food industry in response to the rising demand of takeout and food delivery, the aesthetically pleasing stainless-steel containers provide a more sustainable alternative to single-use packaging. 

“When we saw the service that Reusables was providing to restaurants, we recognized this as an opportunity to advance Fresh St. Market’s commitment to sustainability within our stores,” said Mark McCurdy, V.P. Retail Operations & Brand Strategy, Fresh St. Market.
“Fresh St. Market is a local grocer first and we believe in working with like-minded local businesses from food suppliers to packaging and are always seeking vendors who add to the services we provide our customers. We believe in the importance of working in a circular economy such as the one Reusables is striving to achieve. We acknowledge how becoming the first grocer to take part in this program is an important step towards reaching our goal and want to encourage all of our customers to utilize this service while shopping at our Vancouver House location.”

At the Vancouver House Fresh St. Market, new and existing Reusables members can order items from the Fork Lift Kitchen & Bar, cafe, grocery, bakery and more without contributing to single-use plastic waste entering the ecosystem. At the time of order, customers state they are a member of the Reusables program and will have their order prepared in a stainless-steel container equipped with a QR code that is scanned and tracked. Reusables’ containers are then required to be returned to any participating store on the platform within 14 days.

“Customers now have the option to not only order takeout from their favourite restaurants but also from the Vancouver House Fresh St. Market location,” says Anastasia Kiku, Reusables Co-Founder. “For many businesses we recognize the challenges they have providing a service like this on their own. With our app we are able to provide a reusable container service within their own business that works in a simple way between our app and their in-store systems.”

Through its proprietary technology, the Reusables team is able to track containers, manage returns, ensure each container is cleaned to the highest standard and entered back into the ecosystem for reuse. The app gives consumers the ability to track the volume of waste they’ve helped divert from landfills. Customers get their first 30 days free when downloading the app and then pay a $5.00 monthly fee to participate.

“Our technology tracks where and when customers use our packaging, which enables us to create a more convenient digital solution for reuse that does not require a container deposit,” said Jason Hawkins, Reusables.com Co-Founder. “For us we see this as a way to significantly reduce single-use packaging waste while providing communities with a reuse system they can feel confident in.”

Adds McCurdy, “for Fresh St. Market, the October 18 launch of Reusables at our Vancouver House location is an exciting time as we collectively continue to look at our own environmental impact within our consumer habits.”

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