Working with Local Distributors to Eliminate Styro in Beacon

My local coffee shop started using foam products for its take-out lunch, and this spurred me to contact a the New Windsor distributor Mountain Restaurant Supply to see if they could come up with competitive pricing for tin and plastic. Many businesses work with them for supplies, and I'm hoping we can build a coalition of 20-40 Beacon businesses that can order in bulk and save money. Foam is still the cheapest option, but somewhere there must be someone who can do better than $40 on 100 pieces!

What you can do: ask businesses that you go to to make the switch! Nothing is more powerful than your voice. Here's some very helpful suggestions that I got via email from the incredibly effective and resourceful Eco-Cycle, based in Boulder Colorado.

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Greetings,     Welcome to week 3 of… sticking it to styrene!    Week 1: We talked about how this “cheap,” #6 plastic comes at a high price to the environment.    Week 2: We showed you 3 tips to skip picking up PS foam.   This week, we’re showing you how to encourage restaurants to ditch polluting PS foam for some eco-friendlier alternatives.   Pointer #1: If you don’t buy it, they won’t sell it.   One great thing about a capitalist society: the consumer is king (or queen). You don’t have to be victim to ANY business’s choices. If you (and all of us) won’t buy it, they won’t make it. If PS foam is the only “to-go” option, just don’t take it. Take your business elsewhere. Pointer #2: Tell them how you feel.   Businesses want to please their customers, so the more we all voice our opposition to PS foam, the more they’ll consider an alternative. If you’re comfortable bringing up the issues in person, let them know that 1) you’re a fan of the restaurant, 2) why you don’t like PS foam and 3) what recyclable and compostable containers they could be using instead. You can let the server know or request to speak with a manager.   One way to say it: The food was delicious! We’re disappointed, though, that you offer PS foam for your to-go containers. They’re polluting to produce, they aren’t recyclable and they will last forever in a landfill. As a customer, I’d really like to have another alternative, like a recyclable aluminum container or a compostable container [ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR COMMUNITIES WITH CURBSIDE COMPOSTING SERVICE]. As fans of your restaurant, we would even pay a little extra for containers that are eco-friendly!    Pointer #3: Use the power of the written word.   Many people aren’t comfortable broaching this issue in person. Use comment forms or e-mail addresses on restaurants’ websites to give them feedback. This can be even more effective than what will likely be a quick in-person comment that could easily be forgotten in the restaurant rush. But don’t forget to do it!   Pointer #4: Point them in the right direction.   The restaurant biz is a busy one. Sometimes what’s really needed for a business to change is info on what they should be doing instead, but who has the time to research it? When you write or comment, suggest locally-based Tundra Specialties as a source for eco-friendly to-go containers.   Next time, we’ll cover what communities are doing to chase PS foam out of town.      Buzz ya later, Eco-Buzz Staff   Zero Waste revolution is just a few clicks away—help our network grow! To forward this e-mail along to your friends and family, use the "Share This" envelope icon at the top of this e-mail. Signing up online for the Eco-Buzz Network means you'll receive weekly e-mails about our latest campaign to help make Zero Waste living easier on you and all your friends. Please join us on Facebook and Twitter to make sharing even easier, and visit our website to receive and share messages at your convenience. PO Box 19006 | Boulder, CO 80308 US