Can returnable containers reduce takeout waste in B.C.?

About once a month, Brenda Swansborough loads a reusable plastic bag full of empty glass jars into her car before heading to get a pint of ice cream.

The jars, which were once filled with ice cream, are part of a growing trend in Vancouver in which businesses offer food and beverage in returnable containers. 

"I think we're all conscious about what goes into our landfill," Swansborough said. "And [the program] takes you back into the store, so it's a win for everybody. It's a win for us and it's a win for them."

Instead of a plastic-lined paper container, Earnest's Ice Cream in Vancouver sells ice cream in pint-sized glass jars. Customers pay a $1 deposit when they buy a pint of ice cream, and get it back when they return the empty jars. 

 As Canadian governments look to crack down on plastic foodware, returnable containers offer Vancouver businesses an alternative that doesn't force customers to change their behaviour. Industry players say the returnables also help companies build sustainability into their brand.

ShareWares, a Vancouver-based food ware company, has built its business on selling, collecting, washing and reselling sturdy plastic cups, bowls and deli containers. Since its inception in 2021, its list of clients has grown to include Tim Hortons, Body Energy Club, and Skip the Dishes. 

During its busiest week so far, ShareWares had about 35,000 dishes in circulation, according to company founder Cody Irwin. He added clients return more than 90 per cent of dishes.

The federal government estimates Canadians throw away more than three million tonnes of plastic waste each year.

As part of its goal to reach zero plastic waste by 2030, the federal government prohibited the manufacture, import and sale of plastic checkout bags, cutlery, food service ware, stir sticks and straws in Canada. 

Last year, the Federal Court ruled the regulations unlawful and invalid. The federal government appealed the ruling. At the time of publication, the matter is still before the courts, and Environment and Climate Change Canada's Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations remain in force.

British Columbians will no longer get plastic and Styrofoam takeout containers and will be charged fees for new shopping bags, as part of single-use plastic regulations that rolled out last month.

It's the latest part of the province's regulations on plastics, which started rolling out last December to align with federal regulations that are going into effect across the country.

Some businesses have responded to these regulations by adopting returnable containers. They allow customers to continue ordering to-go coffees and take-out meals in the face of single-use plastics bans. 

Earnest Ice Cream has offered its product in a returnable glass jar since the company was launched in 2012. Co-owner Ben Ernst says the company saw 207,150 jars returned last year.