Composting Vegware disposables at the University of the West of England

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A longtime client, the University of the West of England has been using our plant-based food service packaging as part of its Sustainability Plan for many years.

This year (2018), with our expansion into Bristol for Vegware’s Close the Loop composting collection service, the University is now turning its catering ‘waste’ into quality compost for Gloucestershire farmers.

Vegware catering disposables are commercially compostable with food waste. That means there’s no need for sorting, and the used compostable packaging – from cups and straws to takeaway boxes and cutlery – can all go together without removing the ketchup and leftover chips. An added bonus is that once food and disposables share one bin, other dry recycling bins are cleaner and easier to recycle.

With 30,000 students and 3,000 staff, closing the loop is making a difference to the University’s environmental footprint, while contributing to the circular economy.

The University’s Sustainable Projects Officer shares his thoughts here on implementing the new waste stream onto the site.

Vegware case study: Platform at Argyle Street Arches

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Street food market solidifies sustainability by composting catering disposables

Argyle Street Arches is a historic venue in the atmospheric arches below Glasgow Central railway station. In 2018, the iconic UK site reopened to be given a new lease of life, and with it, a view to become the city’s greenest venue.

This includes offering Glaswegians a fiercely independent alternative to generic, mass produced foods by way of a new street food market: Platform at Argyle Street Arches. The indoor market brings together some of Scotland’s best independent street food traders every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with food available to sit-in or to-go.

From the outset, Platform’s mission has been to offer produce that is locally and sustainably sourced, seasonal, free range, and free trade. To complement this, they sought eco-friendly food and drink packaging, knowing that food contamination is a barrier to recycling conventional plastic single-use containers.

Keen to ensure the best waste solution for their catering disposables, Platform contacted Edinburgh-based Vegware.

Click here to read more and see the 5 steps Platform and Vegware took to create a sustainable street food market.

What’s 79-Series? A new easy way to match cups & lids!

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At Vegware we want it to be easy to find the right size lid for your cup or soup container. We’ve got a new simple system. We have updated our product names to add a Series number for the lid fit, such as 69-Series, 89-Series, or 115-Series.

For example, you spot our new ‘8oz white embossed hot cup, 79-Series’. Then browsing the hot cup extras, you can see it fits these lids:

  • 79-Series CPLA hot cup lid
  • 79-Series CPLA hot cup lid, black

You’ll see our Series numbers in our hot and cold cups, soup containers and Bon Appetit bowls. To let you into a secret, the number is the lid’s diameter in millimetres.

Here’s a handy guide to our cup and lids. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to us!

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Today at Vegware it’s a double celebration as we celebrate the 4th of July and our first birthday in the US! It seems just like yesterday we opened our office in Huntington Beach.

Our first year has seen us add some new faces to our growing team and increase our supply of products across the country from coast to coast. Our Zero Waste Director, Julia has had a whirlwind year working closely with clients and composters to set up zero waste programs.

With a wide range of businesses now seeking plastic-free packaging alternatives, we’ve seen a surge of interest in our compostable solution and this has created some amazing opportunities for us.

Our solution is simple as our founder and CEO, Joe Frankel explains:

“You can’t recycle food with plastic in it, and you can’t recycle plastic with food on it. Moving to compostable catering disposables means that food and packaging waste can be recycled together. We believe compostables are the only true recycling solution for the category. That’s why we don’t make or sell anything that’s plastic.”

Just as the last year has flown by, we’re sure the next will follow suit. We’d like to thank everyone who has supported us in this time and look forward to seeing what the future has to hold!

Bon Appetit!

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Meet our newest creation, the 32oz PLA-lined paper food bowl and PLA-Lined paper lid.

Joining our Bon Appetit range, this food bowl combo proves an excellent eco option for serving up delicious curries, colorful burrito bowls and more. Great for a wide range of cold and hot food.

With a top diameter of 7.3 inches, our Bon Appetit bowl offers a panoramic view of any delicious servings.

Both the bowl and lid feature Vegware’s Green Leaf band, a design which promotes your eco ethos and commitment to sustainability.

Another Vegware innovation, our bowl and lid are made from plants, not plastic and commercially compostable where facilities exist.

Available to order now, ask us for more information or samples over at us.info@vegware.com.

Barbecue season is here!

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With a long-weekend ahead, it’s the unofficial start of summer and beach season, and our personal favorite, barbecue season!

Whether you call it BBQ, cookout or grill out, Vegware has the perfect compostable catering disposables for all your summer parties and events.

Bagasse tableware

Bagasse is a stylish eco alternative to styrofoam made from recycled sugarcane fibre. Suitable for hot and cold food and sturdier than paper plates.

Gourmet Range

Our elegant Gourmet Range is the first eco spill-proof solution for hot or cold food to go. A unique mix-and-match range of plastic-free lids and bases made from renewable, low-carbon materials. Each size has two depths of base and three lid styles, including our clear PLA lids.

Ice cream pots and spoons

Compostable food containers, in a variety of sizes to accommodate a single scoop or an ice cream sundae. Clear PLA domed and flat lids for cold food, and flat CPLA lids available for hot.

Complement with our award-winning cutlery range that includes these delightful ice cream spoons available in a candy colour mix of options!

As with all Vegware, these products are commercially compostable where accepted.

Happy Barbecuing!

International Compost Awareness Week 6-12th May Vegware’s guide to compostable packaging

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To celebrate International Compost Awareness Week, we’ve put together this handy Vegware guide to our compostable packaging.

Why use compostable food packaging?
For disposables destined to meet food, it makes sense to use materials that can be recycled together with food. High-quality compost feeds the fields, to grow more food. Yum.

Why isn’t conventional packaging actually recycled?
Recyclables+Food = NOT RECYCLABLE. Used packaging is a mix of materials contaminated with food, and goes to incineration or landfill because it can’t be recycled.

Do plant-based materials work as well as plastic?
Yes, or even better! Bagasse (made from recycled sugarcane fibre) takeout boxes keep heat in but don’t trap condensation like plastic. No more soggy fries. Continue reading →

We’re hiring! Inside Sales Representative

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We’re on the look out for a talented and ambitious Inside Sales Representative to join our team in Huntington Beach.

The purpose of the role is a combination of customer care, operational support, developing new business and retaining existing business through sales activities. This will mean working with a wide range of clients, both B2C and B2B, ensuring that daily operations are taken care of, incoming enquiries are qualified and developed and cold calling campaigns are executed efficiently.

For more information of the key skills and responsibilities desired see our job advert on indeed.com. 

Join us at Natural Products Expo West

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From the 8-10th of March we’ll be exhibiting at the world’s largest natural, organic and healthy products event, Natural Products Expo West.

Taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center, we’ll have new products to showcase and expert advice on custom branding and zero waste support. You can find us at Stand N1145.

We’d love to see you there! If you are interested in attending contact us or go to the Natural Products Expo West website.

Vegware Community Fund

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Since we opened our Huntington Beach office in June this year, we’ve been humbled by the warm welcome we’ve received from the local people and businesses. So much so that we’re delighted to announce the launch of our Vegware Community Fund in the US.

In 2009, we started the Vegware Community Fund to support sustainability in its widest sense.  Over the past few years we’ve helped out a number of charities and organizations with funding and donations across the UK and now we’re excited to be doing the same in the US. Our community fund extends support to both the built and natural environment, and community projects, by offering monthly grants or regular donations of our eco packaging.

Have a read of our Community Fund blog to see what kind of projects and organizations we’ve supported in the past. For more information and details on how you can apply, head to our website.