Reducing Single-Use Foodware
Perspectives on change from restaurants and customers in Winnipeg
IISD Experimental Lakes Area surveyed Winnipeg restaurants and cafés, as well as customers, to understand their perspectives and willingness to transition to reusable foodware. And the findings are very exciting: businesses and customers in Winnipeg are ready for change, but they still need guidance and support to reduce single-use waste.
Key Messages
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Winnipeggers want more reusable foodware. And they want it now: 74% of surveyed customers believe restaurants should do more to reduce waste, while 82% support serving dine-in meals on reusable foodware.
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About 70% of Winnipeg businesses are ready for change. But they need more guidance and support. Many businesses need government guidance on health protocols and financial assistance for procuring reusables.
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Research at IISD Experimental Lakes Area has taught us that plastics are having a harmful effect on the health of Canada’s freshwater bodies and those who depend on them.
As more Canadians seek opportunities to reduce single-use plastic waste, we aim to identify how to support businesses and customers for success. Reducing single-use plastic waste relies on social behavioural change through interventions. In this brief, we focus on the single-use foodware used in restaurants and coffee shops. To help businesses and customers in Winnipeg, Manitoba, reduce waste, we aim to identify opportunities and challenges for reusable foodware programming in the city.
We surveyed Winnipeg restaurants and cafés, as well as customers, to understand their perspectives and willingness to transition to reusable foodware. Businesses and customers in Winnipeg are ready for change, but they need guidance and support to reduce single-use waste.
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