The Product Stewardship Institute (PSI) will be hosting a free webinar discussing the feasibility of reusable packaging systems for municipalities on September 18, from 1:00-2:30 ET. 

The proliferation of single-use food serviceware – much of which is plastic – poses significant environmental and economic challenges, including plastic pollution that harms wildlife and degrades tourist attractions, resulting in litter cleanup costs and unchecked use of natural resources. But growing public demand for more sustainable options has sparked a shift toward alternative packaging materials and systems. In 2021, in collaboration with PSI and with grant funding from the U.S. EPA and others, earthday365 embarked on a journey to implement a reusable take-away packaging system with restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri.  

In this webinar, earthday365 will discuss the barriers they encountered, the lessons they learned, the progress made, and next steps for reuse in St. Louis. Attendees will also hear from r.World, a reusable packaging solutions company that worked with earthday365 in St. Louis to conduct a feasibility study for centralized packaging reuse services, and Seattle Public Utilities about the award-winning Reuse Seattle program which is building citywide reuse systems. PSI will release its municipal guide to supporting and investing in packaging reuse systems, which includes the St. Louis case study and complements PSI’s plastic reduction guides for restaurants and universities. Participants will leave the webinar with recommendations that municipalities, businesses, and organizations can undertake to invest in reusable packaging systems in their communities. There will be ample time for Q&A.  

The webinar will be hosted by Will Grassle, Associate for Policy and Programs, PSI. 

Speakers include: 

  • Jessica Watson, Executive Director, earthday365
  • Cassandra Hage, Assistant Director, Office of Sustainability at Washington University in St. Louis
  • Mac Sellars, Strategy and Innovation Lead, R.World
  • Joycelyn Chui, Commercial Solid Waste Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

To register and learn more about the event, click here.