Hilo restaurants could start serving food in stainless steel bowls and bento boxes next year.
A pilot project that would develop a system for distributing and collecting reusable food containers at participating Hilo establishments is expected to launch by mid-2025 as Hawaii County looks for a distribution partner.
The project was funded in 2023 through a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is a partnership between the county Department of Environmental Management, Zero Waste Hawaii Island and Perpetual, a nonprofit that has developed similar reusable foodware programs across the country.
Participating businesses and organizations will receive reusable containers in which to sell food in lieu of paper or plastic clamshell boxes, for example. Customers would then be able to dispose of the empty containers at public collection sites or at a participating business.
Jennifer Navarra, program director for Zero Waste Hawaii, said about possible 70 collection site locations have been determined, primarily around Hilo’s commercial hubs in the downtown area and around Prince Kuhio Plaza.
Other logistical factors of the program have yet to be determined, Navarra said. For example, a system to incentivize users to actually return the foodware instead of keeping it still isn’t finalized.
“It’s still a little fuzzy,” Navarra said. “We were planning to allow for a weeklong checkout policy, and if you paid with a card, it would automatically deduct a fee if you didn’t return it after a week.”
Of course, Navarra said, customers who pay with cash or EBT would need a different system, and that hasn’t been determined yet. She said she has considered a reward program with bonuses for customers who return the foodware, but nothing has been decided.
Similarly, a dedicated space for a wash station — where the used foodware would be taken to be sanitized and redistributed back to participating establishments — hasn’t been selected yet.
However, other specifics have been figured out. Navarra said the program most likely will use stainless steel bowls and boxes instead of plastic or glass. The bowls, she said, should be constructed in such a way that hot foods like soups or curries shouldn’t conduct heat through the metal.
Navarra said that Zero Waste and Perpetual won’t actually be the ones actively collecting, washing and redistributing the foodware. Instead, those tasks will be carried out by a contractor who will be selected by the county in the coming months.
The county is planning to release a request for proposal for a contractor in the near future.
The County Council last week approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a three-year agreement with a contractor to manage the program, with an option to extend that contract up to two years. That decision was made with minimal discussion, although several Big Island residents submitted testimony in support of the project.
“Going out to eat is one of my favorite activities,” wrote Hawi resident Caroline Azelski. “However, I’ve curtailed it greatly due to the large amount of single-use containers and utensils it generates. Over the years, this means thousands of my dollars that never entered the local economy or supported small businesses.
“With a sustainable, long-lasting reusable foodware program in place, I can go out to eat to my heart’s content, thereby helping small businesses and our island’s economy thrive,” Azelski concluded.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
