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A Guide for Businesses to Switch to Reusable Serviceware
New Oregon laws make it easier than ever for restaurants, food carts, and grocery stores to use reusable dishware and accept customers' cups and to-go containers. Learn how to choose reusables: It's good for your business, your customers, and your bottom line.
Why Choose Reusable Serviceware?
Save Money
Restaurants and grocery stores that make the switch to reusable dishware, cups, and cutlery can reduce their purchasing and garbage costs, saving money every month.
For example, coffee shops can save thousands of dollars per year. Read about how one coffee shop saw a savings of over $6,800 per year by switching to reusables.
Reduce Waste
Reusables can be washed and sanitized thousands of times. That means thousands fewer single-use items in the trash.
Customer sSatisfaction
Switching to reusable serviceware can enhance your image, demonstrate your commitment to being environmentally friendly, and offer a better customer experience.
More than ever, customers want to support businesses that go above and beyond in their sustainability efforts. Offering and promoting reusables is a simple, tangible way to show customers you care about reducing waste.
Check out the Choose to Reuse Fact Sheet for tips and tools.
Oregon's New Bring Your Own (BYO) Law
A new way to cut waste and costs
Thanks to Oregon's new law, customers can now bring their own containers to participating restaurants, food carts, grocery stores and other retail food establishments when purchasing food, grabbing to-go orders, or packing up leftovers. While this isn't a requirement of businesses, encouraging customers to bring their own containers saves money, reduces waste, and makes sustainability-minded customers happy.
Last year, 41% of Portland's Nossa Familia Coffee customers brought their own cups or dined in, keeping 52,364 single-use cups out of landfills!
Encourage Customers to BYO
Let customers know you accept reusable containers by posting a BYO sign in a visible place.
Guidelines for Businesses
These easy-to-follow guides will help you safely accept customers' reusable containers while following public health codes.
1. Read the Rules
2. Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- Download the SOP template
- Fill out the SOP
- Keep a copy of the SOP on-site
3. Train Staff
- Walk through the SOP together
- Print a "How-to" sign for Staff
Find more details at:
- Oregon Health Authority fact sheet for restaurants
- Oregon Department of Agriculture fact sheet for retail and grocery stores
