Fresh Take Fridays Webinar — Reusable Packaging Systems

Reuse before recycling: New standard from PR3 helps companies wash and reuse packaging many times before it is recycled 

Imagine you pick up your morning coffee, but instead of a disposable cup, it comes in a reusable one. You drink it and then drop the cup into a designated collection point and go about your day. Behind the scenes, your cup, and other reusable containers, are collected and transported to a washing facility where they are washed, sanitized, packed, and distributed for use again at another cafe or coffee shop. Reusable packaging systems like this are on the rise in the U.S., especially in city centers, theaters, stadiums, corporate campuses, and schools. Increasingly, facilities that wash reusable packaging are part of the food supply chain landscape, but until now there was limited guidance on how to account for them in food safety programs, inspection processes, or food codes. PR3’s washing standard, designated as an American National Standard, is the first specifically created for reusable packaging operations to help ensure their safety, consistency, interoperability, and effectiveness. It offers food service inspectors a comprehensive, checklist of what to look for when inspecting washing facilities for reusable packaging.