Reuse Bend: Coming Soon!
In August, we shared our plans to bring reuse to Bend through an initiative we called Reuse Bend. We mentioned applying for a Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine Materials Management grant from Oregon DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality).
We are so excited to announce we received the full requested grant and will be launching Reuse Bend in the next few months!
Reuse Bend’s goal is to help move Bend (and Central Oregon) from single-use serviceware to reusables in the food service sector. We plan to do so through two related initiatives:
- To address takeout, we’ll be launching a reusable container program (similar to Rogue To Go).
- To address on-site dining at food cart lots, a particularly tricky piece due to limited facilities, we aim to pilot a reusable dishware program at a food cart lot.
The grant provides funding to implement both initiatives over the next two years (through March 2027), and we can’t wait to get started. During our preliminary research and outreach, we conducted a survey to gather community input (still open!), and we also met with a few food cart and lot owners.
Starting March, we’ll be conducting outreach to food service businesses, partner groups, and community members. We are looking forward to hearing from all interested parties, with a goal to launch our reusable container program with 10 participating eateries in June.
Here are a few reasons we’re excited for this project:
🗑️ Save 10,000 single use containers PLUS one dump truck per week
🥡 Eliminate PFAS, micro-plastics, and contaminants from our food
💰 Businesses save on container cost w/ each meal
✊🏽 Collections & dishwashing – keeps resources within the community
🌲 Keep litter and microplastics out of our parks, forests, and waterways
✈️ Model sustainability as a visitor destination
⚡Changes systems to help bring culture change