The Bow Valley is a unique and beautiful place.

Working together, we can take care of this place to ensure it stays this way, now and far into the future, by shifting away from disposables towards reuse.

 

Why Switch to Reusable Food ware?

  • Businesses can save money by switching to reusable food ware. Depending on the reuse model, the increased purchase costs and dishwashing are offset over time. Some models offer turnkey solutions that include collection and dishwashing, making the switch easy and convenient. Reduced waste also reduces waste management costs for businesses and municipalities.

    More and more businesses are offering services and solutions – see our directory for businesses that are operating in the Bow Valley.

  • Millions of people come to the Bow Valley each year to experience the beauty of this place. We have a responsibility to protect nature and keep our towns clean.

    Reusable food ware is better for the environment on every measure - waste, water, pollution, land use and emissions. For instance, after just 50 uses, real plates are better for the environment than PLA clamshells – not even a day’s worth of customers on a busy weekend in the Bow Valley!

  • The tourism plans for Canmore Kananaskis and Banff Lake Louise are about regenerative tourism – attracting visitors that care about the environment and sustainability. By participating in environmental initiatives, this is your chance to gain a competitive advantage and be a leader.

    Customers are ready for reusables. Our community engagement in 2022 showed high levels of local support for a reusable container program. Offering reusable containers has been shown for many businesses to increase brand loyalty and repeat customers. For tourists from places like Europe, reusable food ware is already becoming the norm; it’s what they expect.

    By joining dozens of local businesses switching to reusable food ware, you’ll be leading an enduring sustainable trend.

A Banff business used these reusable containers when they participated in the Banff Isn’t Disposable pilot in 2021.

 

What Other Options Are There?

“Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”! Remember, reduce comes first: preventing waste is always the best option. Recycling, composting, and greener disposables alternatives are good, but their benefits are much smaller than reducing overall consumption. Reusable food ware programs address the root problem of our waste – human consumption behavior.

Check out our chart below to examine food ware options for your business.

 

FAQs

Why isn’t compostable food ware the best option?

Municipal compost systems are designed to turn food scraps into usable, high-quality compost – NOT as a means to dispose of single-use take-away items. While fiber-based and plastic certified compostable food ware ARE accepted in both Banff and Canmore’s municipal waste streams, these materials do not add value to compost. Plastic compostable food ware simply breaks down into carbon dioxide and water in the composting process. 

Another problem is when people put items in the wrong bins, this causes contamination, which can cause costly problems for waste operations. For instance, compostable plastic is commonly put into the recycling bin but it has to be pulled out on the sort line and thrown away as garbage.

Certified compostable food ware must have one of the two logos to be accepted in Banff and Canmore’s food waste bins. (Beware of materials labelled “biodegradable” or that do not have one of the two logos below - these items belong in the garbage.)

For a summary of the different issues associated with compostable food ware, see this research summary by Oregon DEQ.

 

Earthware

https://earthware.me/

  • Food Ware Types: Containers

  • Material Type: Reusable, recyclable #5 polyproylene plastic

  • Who Pays for Service: Join by buying inventory

  • Returns: Bottle depot

 

Sharewares

https://www.sharewares.ca/

  • Food Ware Types: Containers, Cups, Other

  • Material Type: 100% recycled #5 polyproylene plastic

  • Who Pays for Service: Customer deposit

  • Returns: Numerous return locations

 

MUUSE

https://www.muuse.io/

  • Food Ware Types: Containers, Cups, Pizza boxes, Bags

  • Material Type: Double walled stainless steel with silicone lids, and/or plastic containers

  • Who Pays for Service: Vendors pay a monthly subscription, consumers get free unlimited borrows and are charged only for late returns

  • Returns: Numerous return locations

Are you a reusable foodware service provider? Contact us today to get added to our directory.

 

Banff Isn’t Disposable Pilot Project

Banff Isn’t Disposable (BID) was a pilot reusable container program that was created in order to address a specific issue written in Banff’s Environmental Master Plan: “how might we eliminate single-use items and plastics from the townsite?” Spearheaded by University of Waterloo student Luna Kawano, the goal of the program was to reduce the amount of single-use container waste and to validate a reusable container scheme for Banff in the long run.

With support from the university and Town of Banff, as well as from locals and 8 Banff businesses, over 500 takeout containers were diverted from landfill through reuse in summer 2021.

 
 

Beyond the Pilot - Community Engagement

In summer 2022, the Biosphere Institute took on the project to research ways to scale the program across the Bow Valley. Our volunteers and staff engaged with residents at the Banff Farmer’s Market in summer and fall 2022 to promote the program.

On January 16, 2023, Biosphere Institute held a workshop in partnership with the Town of Banff and with support from Banff Lake Louise Hospitality Association and Banff Lake Louise Tourism at the Moose Hotel in Banff. After 5 short presentations, 46 people representing 30 businesses participated in focus groups. View our “What We Heard” document by clicking the button below.

Groups of people at tables watching a powerpoint presentation.

Participants watch a presentation at the 2023 Commercial Insights session.

 
 

Share, Repair, Reuse

There is a growing culture of sharing, repairing and reusing in the Bow Valley. The is a fantastic way to save money, connect with others and help the environment. Here are a few resources to help you get started:

On April 17th 2023 Melissa Tomaszewski gave a presentation titled “Why we should talk more about garbage” at Biosphere’s Earth Talks. Her slides provide some amazing insights into where our clothes end up, and how we can keep more clothing out of landfill. She also provided a handout with some easy tips to reduce the impact your clothing choices have on the environment.

This project is supported by the Town of Banff Community Grant: