Beyond Plastics Releases Guide for Meals on Wheels Programs to Switch to Reusable Dishes
For immediate release: May 24, 2022
Contacts:
Alexis Goldsmith, 260-444-1341, alexisgoldsmith@bennington.edu
Judith Enck, 518-605-1770, judithenck@bennington.edu
Meals on Wheels programs deliver vital services to millions of older adults and adults with disabilities every day by providing nutritious meals and consistent human interaction. A new guide called Choose to Reuse from Beyond Plastics will help meal delivery services transition to serving home-delivered meals in reusable dishes rather than costly and environmentally damaging single-use packaging. The free guide offers practical advice, tools, resources, and case studies and is available at https://www.beyondplastics.org/meals-on-wheels.
“Choose to Reuse helps meal delivery programs make the switch to reusable dishware instead of continuing to purchase mountains of expensive and polluting single-use disposable trays and dishes. Switching to reusables is a win-win-win: it can save these programs money, extend the life of landfills, and help address intersectional issues of climate change, plastic pollution, and inequality,” said Alexis Goldsmith, Organizing Director for Beyond Plastics and author of the guide.
"Meals on Wheels is such an important program that can be made more environmentally sustainable by shifting to reusable packaging. The program has a built-in return system – volunteers drop off meals and then take back the reusable packaging to be washed and reused, saving money on not having to buy single-use packaging for every meal. The future is in reusables. We look forward to working with Meals on Wheels programs to make this transition," said Judith Enck, President, Beyond Plastics.
Meal delivery programs are vital to the health of our society, playing a critical role in keeping people fed and providing a human connection for the homebound in communities all across the country. According to Meals on Wheels America, in 2018, senior meal programs in the U.S. served 2.4 million people, representing roughly 646 million meals. However, the single-use plastic dishware used by most programs has a negative impact on the environment, generating roughly 46 million pounds of plastic waste and using 1.1 million cubic yards of landfill space each year. It’s important to note that these numbers are likely significantly higher today as the demand for meal delivery services increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The single-use disposable dishware used by Meals on Wheels programs is often made of black plastic with a plastic film covering. Although manufacturers advertise these trays as recyclable, it is unlikely they are recycled even when seniors put them in their recycling bin. In May 2022, Beyond Plastics and The Last Beach Cleanup issued a report documenting that the U.S. plastics recycling rate hovered at just 5-6% of all plastic waste in 2021. In addition, the vast majority of black plastic is not recycled because the infrared technology used by recycling facilities to sort plastics cannot “see” the color black.
It is estimated that nearly half of all new plastic is intended for a single use; after disposal, it lasts in the environment for generations or is converted into air pollution through incineration. Plastic emits nearly double the greenhouse gasses of the global aviation industry, and the U.S. generates more plastic waste per capita than any other country.
Fortunately, disposable systems can be redesigned for reusables, and Meals on Wheels is uniquely situated to lead on this issue. Meal delivery programs can readily implement reusable dishware because of the closed-loop nature of their service: volunteers or staff can pick up the used trays when they drop off the next meals and return the used trays to the kitchen to be washed, sanitized, and used again.
The benefits of reusable dishware go beyond environmental sustainability. According to Meals on Wheels America, the need for meal services increased by 80% at the height of the pandemic and continues to increase each year. This strains program budgets and leads to more plastic waste in our rapidly filling landfills. Over time, reusable dishware is less expensive than disposables, and many Meals on Wheels programs that use reusables report feeling more gratified knowing that they are making choices that are better for our shared planet.
Choose to Reuse is based on the experience of Meals on Wheels programs that are currently using reusable dishware, including the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) in Wisconsin, Spectrum Community Services in California, and Three Rivers Community Action Inc. and Semcac Community Action Agency in Minnesota.
The Aging and Disability Resource Center temporarily switched to disposables in 2020 but has now switched back to reusables with a larger client base than before the COVID-19 pandemic. “The Home-Delivered Meal Program has been using returnable containers for over 20 years. We did not realize how vital these containers were to our program—and our budget! Our Nutrition Program Managers were very happy when we reintroduced them even though it meant more washing on their end. They saw the benefits! And so do we,” said Renea Aeschliman, Support Program Associate, Aging and Disability Resource Center.
“Reuse is a priority for our program for financial sustainability and environmental responsibility. The participants can microwave the meal in these trays, and they are much better for our Earth, especially our oceans,” said Carla Pearson, LSW, Older Adult Services Coordinator, Three Rivers Community Action, Inc.
“We use the trays because they protect the quality of our product and they are easy for the seniors to reheat and convenient to store leftovers in. They also keep waste out of the landfills,” said Carolyn Freese, Lead Program Coordinator, Semcac Community Action Agency.
Programs can purchase containers and wash them in-house, or work with a reusable dishware service. During the pandemic, Spectrum Community Services in Alameda County, California, decided to pay to have their containers washed rather than use disposables. “The food has to be in a container, and in reality right now, the price of disposable containers is really high. At first using disposable containers was a cost savings, but then production issues caused backorders; sometimes you wouldn’t know if you would get them or not. The dishware service cost is a little bit more, but not so much that it makes a significant difference since disposables are expensive,” said Becky Bruno, Senior Meals Program Manager, Spectrum Services.
Beyond Plastics encourages state and local governments to provide funding for Meals on Wheels and other senior meal delivery programs to implement reuse systems. While reusable dishware has an up-front cost, it pays for itself, generally within just one year, and can be used for many years. Programs that make the switch see immediate environmental benefits, and communities also benefit from having less plastic trash enter the waste stream.
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