CRRA 2022 Conference & Tradeshow

Director of Sustainability & Zero Waste Programs, TRUE cert.

As a hauler and processor of recyclables and organics, it is vital to your infrastructure and diversion goals to receive items that benefit your bottom line and not the landfill.  Theoretically, compostable foodware provides less confusion and cleaner streams when it comes to sorting. However, state and federal regulations limit what types of foodware can and cannot be accepted at a compost facility, such as bioplastics. Recyclable foodware have their own set of challenges, from product types to confusion around contamination. While the markets for plastics #1 and #5 seem promising, but are these the best options? Is it possible to find disposable foodware that benefits the compost and recycling systems, as well as the environment and community?  We will explore the active role waste haulers can play in communicating to customers what material is best for their streams, why foodware is a vital part of the diversion conversation, and various foodware challenges and solutions

Head of Sales & Partnerships

Communities all across California want solutions to waste and plastic pollution and increasingly recognize that the throw-away culture has to change if we are to solve these problems. But reuse solutions, especially in the take-out foodservice sector, are hard to imagine as there are so few examples. One company, Dispatch Goods, is growing a reuse service for take-out that works for businesses and customers. Here you will learn about the keys to their success, including how they have evolved over time to make their service fun and convenient. They are even providing takeback and reuse services for problematic waste products, like cooler packs. No trip is wasted in the Dispatch Goods model. Learn about this fantastic service and how to bring it to your community.

Coastal and Marine Scientist

Combating pollution associated with harmful single-use plastics requires a suite of varied solutions, from private to public sectors. Foodware reduction policies is a critical tool, and those policies often gain traction in smaller municipalities before moving on to state legislators, often thanks to grassroots efforts. The Reusable LA coalition, a group of over 30 like-minded organizations and businesses, have been advocating for comprehensive single-use foodware reduction policies in the nation’s largest county, Los Angeles, and have achieved great success in organizing across diverse stakeholders. This session well showcase success and ongoing campaigns of the Reusable LA coalition and model tools and tactics for forwarding foodware reduction policies on the ground.

Administrative Analyst I

The Town of Truckee began embarking on the process to develop a single-use foodware reduction ordinance in August 2019. After a robust community outreach process, including a two year pause due to COVID, the Town is now developing a draft ordinance for its first reading this Fall. Policies include a ban on Polystyrene, mandating reusable foodware for in-house dining, and a $0.25 fee on disposable takeout cups and food containers. The Town of Truckee also hosts a jurisdiction-run reusable takeout food container program, with local restaurant and customer participation. Truckee's policies and programs focus on a cultural shift from single-use to reusable foodware, and show that small cities can make a big impact in waste prevention. Truckee's ordinance process provides a template for engaging the public around single-use foodware policies and can offer jurisdictions across the state a framework for developing foodware reduction policies.