Instead of the single-use paper or plastic cups that Gearhard would usually line up for the barista slinging espresso, he’s passing over shiny new reusable cups that bear the slogan “Sip, Return, Repeat”. Customers who need their lattes to go can take the purple cups with them, then return them to one of 60 bins scattered across downtown Petaluma when they’ve finished. Each cup comes with a trackable QR code to help monitor results.
unbreakable glassware could be an option
I worked for a glass bottle company for 8 years. Glass used to be a lot thicker, and returnable bottles were designed exactly for repeat uses. But for cost savings, lightweight single use bottles came into play especially as technology improved to blow the glass with more even thickness. Less weight equals more bottles on a truck from the glass manufacturer to the filler, from the filler to the distributor, from the distributor to the grocery stores.