Latest news with #Reusables
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vancouver company celebrates reusable food container success
While there are multiple ways to eschew single-use food takeout containers in favour of reusable ones, a Vancouver company says it has moving toward being a major player in the sector. was founded in 2021 by Jason Hawkins and Anastasia Kiku, then both in their mid-20s, as a way to address the scourge of single-use takeout containers they were seeing piling up in garbage cans, landfills — or even worse — as litter. "We just don't have any more time to sit and not do something," said Kiku at the time about their concept. Reusables finds a home at universities, country club The company provides businesses with reusable containers, which are given to customers at checkout without a deposit. Customers are only charged — between $5 and $10 — if the containers aren't returned to special bins that track them. It's a simple concept, which others are also doing, but comes with hurdles such as getting customers to change their habits to adopt the system. says the company recognized its system, now at places such as University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, is a good fit for where consumers, such as students and staff, return to the same place over and over again. "It really makes sense as a perfect closed-loop model where everyone is in that location," said Jasper Law, the company's product lead. "It's easy for them to know that they can bring it back to that place." Reusables also has improved its made-in-Vancouver return bins. Users scan their container to open the bin, meaning it's tamper-proof and can only be filled with Reusables containers. Law said a successful reusable-container business has to have a high rate of return to be viable. "What matters in these programs is return rate," he said. "So we are striving to get as close to 100 per cent as possible because every container loss needs to be replaced and that eliminates the value of the program." West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club is now using the system for its 8,000 members. Officials say member often received food or drink in single-use containers, but used them and discarded them on site, which created a garbage problem. "So we thought we should look for an alternative solution," said Caitlin Lundy, the club's director of sales and communication. The club says it's now saving between 8,000 and 10,000 units of paper cups, plastic lids and paper takeout containers per month. "So the initial cost of the system, it paid for itself within about two months," Lundy said. Company receives seed funding captured nearly $4 million in seed funding in April to help it expand further. "We're thrilled to be backed by the best tech and climate investors as we scale real impact, not just optics," said Hawkins in a release from the company. "Greenwashing won't solve the waste crisis — technology and execution will." Single-use item waste is a big problem to tackle in a "take, make waste society," said Denise Philippe, Metro Vancouver's National Zero Waste Council's senior policy adviser. Metro Vancouver has ambitious goals to reduce this type of waste and commended companies like for trying to make a difference. "I think there's lots of creativity and innovation that's happening in this space," said Philippe. "So kudos to both the reuse systems [and] system providers that are out there … scratching their heads … and trying to figure out how to make this work and make it work at scale and make it cost efficient."
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vancouver company celebrates reusable food container success
While there are multiple ways to eschew single-use food takeout containers in favour of reusable ones, a Vancouver company says it has moving toward being a major player in the sector. was founded in 2021 by Jason Hawkins and Anastasia Kiku, then both in their mid-20s, as a way to address the scourge of single-use takeout containers they were seeing piling up in garbage cans, landfills — or even worse — as litter. "We just don't have any more time to sit and not do something," said Kiku at the time about their concept. Reusables finds a home at universities, country club The company provides businesses with reusable containers, which are given to customers at checkout without a deposit. Customers are only charged — between $5 and $10 — if the containers aren't returned to special bins that track them. It's a simple concept, which others are also doing, but comes with hurdles such as getting customers to change their habits to adopt the system. says the company recognized its system, now at places such as University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, is a good fit for where consumers, such as students and staff, return to the same place over and over again. "It really makes sense as a perfect closed-loop model where everyone is in that location," said Jasper Law, the company's product lead. "It's easy for them to know that they can bring it back to that place." Reusables also has improved its made-in-Vancouver return bins. Users scan their container to open the bin, meaning it's tamper-proof and can only be filled with Reusables containers. Law said a successful reusable-container business has to have a high rate of return to be viable. "What matters in these programs is return rate," he said. "So we are striving to get as close to 100 per cent as possible because every container loss needs to be replaced and that eliminates the value of the program." West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club is now using the system for its 8,000 members. Officials say member often received food or drink in single-use containers, but used them and discarded them on site, which created a garbage problem. "So we thought we should look for an alternative solution," said Caitlin Lundy, the club's director of sales and communication. The club says it's now saving between 8,000 and 10,000 units of paper cups, plastic lids and paper takeout containers per month. "So the initial cost of the system, it paid for itself within about two months," Lundy said. Company receives seed funding captured nearly $4 million in seed funding in April to help it expand further. "We're thrilled to be backed by the best tech and climate investors as we scale real impact, not just optics," said Hawkins in a release from the company. "Greenwashing won't solve the waste crisis — technology and execution will." Single-use item waste is a big problem to tackle in a "take, make waste society," said Denise Philippe, Metro Vancouver's National Zero Waste Council's senior policy adviser. Metro Vancouver has ambitious goals to reduce this type of waste and commended companies like for trying to make a difference. "I think there's lots of creativity and innovation that's happening in this space," said Philippe. "So kudos to both the reuse systems [and] system providers that are out there … scratching their heads … and trying to figure out how to make this work and make it work at scale and make it cost efficient."
CBC
11 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Vancouver company celebrates reusable food container success
Social Sharing While there are multiple ways to eschew single-use food takeout containers in favour of reusable ones, a Vancouver company says it has moving toward being a major player in the sector. was founded in 2021 by Jason Hawkins and Anastasia Kiku, then both in their mid-20s, as a way to address the scourge of single-use takeout containers they were seeing piling up in garbage cans, landfills — or even worse — as litter. "We just don't have any more time to sit and not do something," said Kiku at the time about their concept. The company provides businesses with reusable containers, which are given to customers at checkout without a deposit. Customers are only charged — between $5 and $10 — if the containers aren't returned to special bins that track them. It's a simple concept, which others are also doing, but comes with hurdles such as getting customers to change their habits to adopt the system. says the company recognized its system, now at places such as University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, is a good fit for where consumers, such as students and staff, return to the same place over and over again. "It really makes sense as a perfect closed-loop model where everyone is in that location," said Jasper Law, the company's product lead. "It's easy for them to know that they can bring it back to that place." Reusables also has improved its made-in-Vancouver return bins. Users scan their container to open the bin, meaning it's tamper-proof and can only be filled with Reusables containers. Law said a successful reusable-container business has to have a high rate of return to be viable. "What matters in these programs is return rate," he said. "So we are striving to get as close to 100 per cent as possible because every container loss needs to be replaced and that eliminates the value of the program." West Vancouver's Hollyburn Country Club is now using the system for its 8,000 members. Officials say member often received food or drink in single-use containers, but used them and discarded them on site, which created a garbage problem. "So we thought we should look for an alternative solution," said Caitlin Lundy, the club's director of sales and communication. The club says it's now saving between 8,000 and 10,000 units of paper cups, plastic lids and paper takeout containers per month. "So the initial cost of the system, it paid for itself within about two months," Lundy said. Company receives seed funding captured nearly $4 million in seed funding in April to help it expand further. "We're thrilled to be backed by the best tech and climate investors as we scale real impact, not just optics," said Hawkins in a release from the company. "Greenwashing won't solve the waste crisis — technology and execution will." Single-use item waste is a big problem to tackle in a "take, make waste society," said Denise Philippe, Metro Vancouver's National Zero Waste Council's senior policy adviser. Metro Vancouver has ambitious goals to reduce this type of waste and commended companies like for trying to make a difference. "I think there's lots of creativity and innovation that's happening in this space," said Philippe. "So kudos to both the reuse systems [and] system providers that are out there … scratching their heads … and trying to figure out how to make this work and make it work at scale and make it cost efficient."
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reusables.com Raises $2.6M Round to Tackle $100B+ Packaging Waste Opportunity, Launches University of California
Backed by top Canadian climate tech and B2B SaaS investors in a $2.6M USD oversubscribed seed round, the company is redefining packaging with its "Tap to Reuse" software and globally unique Smart Return Bins. VANCOUVER, BC, April 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - the category-defining platform for tech-enabled reuse, today announced its oversubscribed $2.6M USD seed round, co-led by StandUp Ventures and Amplify Capital, with participation from Sandpiper Ventures and Emend Vision Fund. The funding will accelerate the company's expansion of hardware-enabled SaaS solutions for the circular economy, strengthening its position as the most scalable and effective reuse system on the market. Founded by Vancouver entrepreneurs Jason Hawkins and Anastasia Kiku, Reusables rapidly expanded its business in 2024 after shifting away from restaurants and doubling-down on its SaaS offering for institutional food service operators. The company is on track to triple this year to multi-million-dollar revenue. Unlike many reuse startups that struggle to scale with cleaning, inventory and logistics, Reusables has built the only turn-key enterprise reuse system that enables institutional food service operators like universities and hospitals to track reusable food containers and save costs on disposable packaging waste. Their solution is driving unmatched savings and environmental impact by leveraging on-site cleaning infrastructure to avoid transportation emissions and through a smart "Tap to Reuse" system that's free for customers with no deposits. "Our approach is simple: make reuse more cost-effective and convenient than waste," said Jason Hawkins, CEO at "We're thrilled to be backed by the best tech and climate investors as we scale real impact, not just optics. Greenwashing won't solve the waste crisis—technology and execution will." The Most Scalable Reuse System—Built for Institutions Single-use packaging waste is a $100B+ global opportunity, and while other startups have attempted to tackle the problem, most reuse offerings fail due to operational complexity, and low return rates. has taken a different approach. Its hardware-enabled SaaS platform provides institutional food service operators with a seamless, data-driven ecosystem for reuse. The company's globally unique Smart Return Bins—now deployed at more than 34 locations—enable 24/7 automated, contamination-free returns, solving one of the biggest barriers to widespread adoption. University of California Earth Day Roll-Out In honour of Earth Day 2025, University of California is excited to launch Reusables on their campuses today as they show strong leadership in higher education sustainability. University of California's roll-out will begin with both their Riverside and UCLA campuses. "Our clients reuse over 500,000 containers in just 2 semesters which translates to over 25 tons of packaging waste avoided and over 100 tons of carbon emissions avoided annually. All of that while keeping labour costs constant and saving on single-use packaging and waste management costs." shared Anastasia Kiku, COO & Cofounder of "Reuse isn't a trend — it's an inevitability. We believe the winning solutions will be invisible to the end user: seamless, scalable, and smart. That's exactly what this team has built. With strong traction, a clear go-to-market, and a category-defining product, we're excited to back their bold vision as institutional leaders like UCLA and UC Riverside join the zero waste mission." added Meredith Powell from StandUp Ventures. A World-Class Team with the Experience to Scale leadership combines deep sustainability expertise with high-growth execution. Jason Hawkins previously exited a food tech company and was Head of Business Development for a $100M eGrocery IPO before launching Anastasia Kiku, a former pro skier turned climate entrepreneur, leads operations and product innovation. "Driving large-scale decarbonization requires more than breakthrough tech, it also demands the infrastructure and platforms that make sustainable choices effortless and accessible. Reusables is building a system that removes friction, drives adoption, and delivers real impact at scale. We're proud to support a solution that is as pragmatic as it is visionary in accelerating the circular economy and moving away from single-use plastic." said Louis Delorme, Principal at Amplify Capital. The new funding will be used to expand the company's enterprise partnerships across North America, grow the team, and enhance its hardware-enabled SaaS model to support large-scale foodservice and retail operations. With growing demand from universities, corporate campuses, and major foodservice providers, is building the infrastructure for a waste-free future. About Reusables is the leading hardware-enabled SaaS platform powering the circular economy. Its seamless technology and proprietary Smart Return Bins make reusable packaging scalable, trackable, and easy to use. The company works with top universities, corporate campuses, health care facilities and food service operators to eliminate single-use waste at scale. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Sign in to access your portfolio
