The Reuse Revolution: Secondhand Goods in the Twin Cities

Article response by Natasha Gaffer, Forever Ware CEO

Read the article here: The Reuse Revolution: Secondhand Goods in the Twin Cities

With a growing number of shoppers, particularly millennials and Gen Zers, being more conscious of waste and intentional about making eco-friendly purchase decisions, it’s no surprise to me that several businesses in the Twin Cities are making eco-friendly moves.

“We need to get out of this disposable culture and stop expecting somebody else to take care of our waste.” Kate Marnach, Zeroish

Writer Erica Wacker notes that secondhand shopping is surging nationwide and projected to double in the next five years to $77 billion. But why? Reused items are often less expensive, she writes, and I agree. To elaborate here’s an example: an original buyer could pay $400 for a new coach bag. A second buyer could then lease a gently used version of it on ThredUp for $60. But the best part, in my opinion, is that when I get sick of the style, I can swap it out for a fresh style at a fraction of the price.

At Forever Ware, our system works in a similar way. We foot the bill for high-quality reusable takeout containers and charge restaurants and cafes a small fee each time they reuse them. The fee for restaurants and cafes comes out right around the same price or less than disposable takeout containers. This means that customers don’t see an increase in prices and restauranteurs can offer a better experience for the same price or less. Forever Ware, as a for-profit public benefit corporation, operates a self-sustainable business model by earning income over several reuses, sometimes more than a thousand reuses, to cover the cost of the new containers as well as repair and recycle those that cannot be reused. A win-win-win scenario.

“It’s a shame to put stuff in the earth and let it amass for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, especially when there are viable alternatives.” Pete Poire-Odegard, Roots Roasting

In my opinion, waste is simply a design flaw that can be overcome with the redesign of our existing systems to offer new exciting benefits. For example, an insulated steel ice cream container could keep your ice cream from melting on a hot summer commute from the grocery store or a reusable takeout container could keep your food hot longer. Actually, Forever Ware does just that.

Forever Ware reusable takeout containers are designed to keep your meals hot or cold longer. They’re also safer than all but a few brands of compostable and plastic takeout containers which contain dangerous PFAS chemicals that can cause infertility, thyroid disease, and cancer. These chemicals not only migrate from disposable takeout containers into food but also contaminate drinking water at composting and landfill sites. A real reason for concern.

It’s also more sanitary than having customers bring their own mugs—and arguably more enjoyable than eating or drinking out of a disposable container. Pete Poire-Odegard, Roots Roasting

So next time you want to order takeout, take a quick look online for ‘reuse systems near me’ or ‘reusable takeout container systems’ and enjoy a cleaner, healthier takeout experience. With your help, Forever Ware can tackling the reported 20 billion pieces of litter from disposable food-service packaging, as Wacker mentions were reported in 2021 by Upstream, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting plastic pollution.