Despite its high carbon footprint and nature in direct opposition with the core tenets of a circular economy, single-use plastic is still commonly used. To tackle this issue, ReCIRCLE is replacing single-use packaging with reusable, high-quality, affordable and more eco-friendly alternatives. So far, around 15 people work at ReCIRCLE.

Restaurants generate high volumes of plastic waste: the amount of waste is sometimes unpreventable. Every day, 55,000 disposable containers are tossed out—equal to 1,000 garbage bags and 5.5 tonnes of CO2.

Fortunately, more and more takeaway lovers are switching from disposable to reusable. By providing reusable, high-quality, affordable and eco-friendly alternatives, ReCIRCLE is advocating for washing and saving valuable resources instead of throwing them away.

ReCIRCLE products can be purchased and returned by all partners. In the meantime, they can be used, refilled and washed hundreds of times. At the end of their life, ReCIRCLE products can be easily exchanged for clean ones, or customers can get their money back. The containers eventually get returned to retailers to be recycled.

ReCIRCLE is targeting restaurant owners, allowing them to contribute to reducing plastic and food waste, to save money by choosing reusable packaging over disposable, and to ensure customer loyalty.

The company also offers a rental model for meal services, thus avoiding any start-up costs and additional waste. Its customers benefit from high-quality, hygienic food packaging, which can be heated in a water bath, in the oven or in the microwave. Furthermore, consumers do not generate any waste.

ReCIRCLE also aims to share this opportunity with cities and schools—which will be able to set an active example for their communities while cutting waste, disposal costs, and CO2 generation.

Using a ReCIRCLE box once a week instead of a disposable container can already save 1.5 kilograms of plastic waste per year. By working with the local communities and schools, ReCIRCLE aims to set an example of how individuals and the hospitality sector can cut single-use waste, disposal costs and GHG emissions. Through adoption across Europe, by working hand-in-hand with local initiatives from different countries, the company claimed to have saved over 14 million single-use packages in 2021, translating to 1.4 thousand tonnes of avoided GHG emissions.

Photo by ReCIRCLE