A lunch date with sustainability – reusable to-go dishes in our cafeterias
In order to minimize disposable packaging waste for the to-go menu in our cafeterias, we found, in Relevo, a partner for sustainable reusable dishes.
The aim
Minimizing waste through widespread use of reusable dishes – reducing waste from disposable to-go packaging
Time frame
Starting in October 2021, a pilot phase for the use of Relevo’s reusable dishes took place at Alte Mensa in Dresden. Since February 2022, the to-go reusable dishes have also been available at other cafeterias (Mensologie, Mensa Matrix, Mensa WUeins, Mensa Brühl, Mensa Stimm-Gabel) in Dresden and at the TellerRandt cafeteria in Tharandt.
As of March 14, 2022, the dishes were introduced at Kraatschn in Zittau and MiO in Görlitz, followed by the Zeltschlösschen and Siedepunkt cafeterias in Dresden on April 11 and April 28, respectively.
Resources deployed:
The dishes, a made-in-Germany product (by Ornamin), can be reused up to 1,000 times and are downcycled 100% at the end of their service life. The bowls are made of high-quality SAN plastic and the lids are made of TPE – completely free of BPA (plasticizer) and melamine.
Description
To use the to-go system, users first need to download the Relevo app on their smartphone and create a user account.
Successes to date
By the end of the year, all other cafeterias had followed suit and began using the Relevo bowls; Siedepunkt und die Bib Lounge also introduced the cups as well. What's more, Kaffeelounge and insgrüne coffeebar will start offering Relevo cups for hot drinks by the end of December. As a result, disposable paper cups have been replaced in all cafeterias and the number of paper cups reduced.
On average, about 6% of lunch dishes and hot drinks are packed in reusable dishes. Damaged dishes are returned to Relevo to have the material downcycled through the manufacturing company. This means the products do not simply end up in the trash.
Current status and outlook
As of 2023 and in addition to paper cups, reusable cups for hot drinks will also be offered from all other properties. Paper cups, however, will only be available as long as supplies last. No new single-use cups will be purchased. As of May 2024, over 330,000 loans have been recorded since launch.