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Just Salad in New York City has a reusable bowl program that has made me return a bunch of times to avoid single use plastic. You pay $1 for the bowl, and each

Just Salad in New York City has a reusable bowl program that has made me return a bunch of times to avoid single use plastic. You pay $1 for the bowl, and each time you bring it back you get free toppings. https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/just-salad-s-reusable-bowl-program-reportedly-eliminates-more-75000-pounds-plastic-waste-every-year/81568703058805 https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/just-salad-s-reusabl... The hygiene part is rather interesting. The people working with the food are not allowed to touch your bowl with their gloved hands, and your bowl can’t touch anything behind the counter. They set a plate on the counter that you set your bowl on, and then they grab the plate and steady your bowl with tongs that they clean after each salad they make anyway. Going back to reusable in restaurant settings would require thinking about the hygiene of those reusables.

kd5bjo 7y ago
Lots of restaurants never stopped using reusable utensils, they just don’t let you take their bowl home with you because it’s expensive. It would not be hard for a restaurant to take a deposit and let you walk away with their bowl, and let you get it back when you returned it to be cleaned. Several restaurants could even agree to take back each other’s dishes in exchange for their own, and then return it for you.
- willemh 7y ago
  I agree with you and I've seen it happening already at the Christmas markets in Hamburg, Germany. I bought a hot drink that came in a ceramic mug (which required a deposit) that I then returned after walking around the rest of the market. I'm sure some people kept them as souvenirs but it seemed like the vast majority were returned.
cafebabbe 7y ago
The hygiene is a non-problem. I used to worked in (decent quality) kitchens - you would never believe what I've witnessed. And still, sanitary problems occur incredibly rarely.

kd5bjo 7y ago

Lots of restaurants never stopped using reusable utensils, they just don’t let you take their bowl home with you because it’s expensive. It would not be hard for a restaurant to take a deposit and let you walk away with their bowl, and let you get it back when you returned it to be cleaned. Several restaurants could even agree to take back each other’s dishes in exchange for their own, and then return it for you.

willemh 7y ago
I agree with you and I've seen it happening already at the Christmas markets in Hamburg, Germany. I bought a hot drink that came in a ceramic mug (which required a deposit) that I then returned after walking around the rest of the market. I'm sure some people kept them as souvenirs but it seemed like the vast majority were returned.

cafebabbe 7y ago

The hygiene is a non-problem. I used to worked in (decent quality) kitchens - you would never believe what I've witnessed. And still, sanitary problems occur incredibly rarely.