Two Oregon companies engaging in food and beverage glass jar reuse, collecting the empty jars , delabeling them, and then sanitizing for reuse for their original purpose. One company, Bold Reuse, collects and processes the used jars for return to the numerous manufacturers participating in the program. The second company is a small specialty beverage producer who collects and reuses their own jars.
Bold Reuse also provides reusable plastic cups for large events which are collected in specific containers at the venues. These are sanitized for continual reuse. There are no labels on these cups, but they are often contaminated with lipstick, requiring removal prior to the sanitizing step.
These reuse programs avoid the consumption of natural resources by employing reuse, a step up on the waste hierarchy from recycling. Recycling glass into new glass containers, or plastic into new plastic containers, consumes a lot more energy, water, and generates more wastewater than reuse.
Both companies were using an adhesive remover that is upwards of 60% petroleum distillates, and smelled strongly of petroleum, the smell lingered on hands/clothes, in the air. They also were concerned about the oily residue on countertops, and the actual jars, that then required washing and sanitization, releasing the petroleum residue to the sanitary sewer (via an industrial dishwasher).
PPRC identified An EPA Safer Choice alternative product that performs as well or better than the petroleum-based product.
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