Reuse and Refill Habits for World Refill Day

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

The City of Arcata Environmental Services Department is encouraging community members to participate in World Refill Day on Wednesday, June 16, an international day of awareness focused on reducing waste and making refill and reuse part of everyday life.

World Refill Day highlights a growing global movement to shift from a “throwaway culture” based on convenience and toward a circular system that prioritizes reuse and refill to keep materials in use for as long as possible. Many products today are designed to be used once and quickly discarded, despite requiring significant natural resources, energy, time and money to produce. Most of these single-use items are made of plastic, are not accepted by local recycling facilities and are among the most common forms of litter found in the environment. This disposable system creates unnecessary waste, depletes valuable resources, emits greenhouse gases and pollutes air, water and soil.

Choosing to refill and reuse helps reduce this waste, conserve resources and support a more sustainable, circular economy and community. One of the most important changes people can make is to bring their own reusables for takeout. Since food packaging and containers are one of the largest contributors to waste and litter, the City of Arcata adopted the Single-Use Disposable (SUD) Foodware Ordinance 1527. All food vendors in Arcata are required to follow this policy, which helps to reduce reliance on single-use items and support a broader culture of reuse. Under the ordinance, customers can:

• Bring their own reusable food and beverage containers for takeout and receive a $0.25 discount on the order.
• Dine in at places that serve reusables for onsite dining instead of getting a to-go container.
• Get a free “Bring Your Own Reusables” (BYOR) sticker at one of the public counters at City Hall.

Other ways to practice reuse and refill habits:

• Use reusable bags for groceries, shopping and errands.
• Carry a reusable water bottle and refill it throughout the day.
• Bring reusable cups and containers for takeout and leftovers.
• Pack lunches and snacks in reusable containers instead of single-use packaging.
• Support restaurants, businesses and companies that offer refill and reuse options for bulk foods, soaps, cosmetics, household cleaners and more.
• Reuse things already at home as many times as possible. Just because something is designed to be used once doesn’t mean it cannot be reused and refilled again and again.

To learn more about the SUD Foodware Ordinance regulations, visit cityofarcata.org/foodwareordinance or check out an informational video on the City’s YouTube channel. For waste prevention resources and zero waste tips, visit cityofarcata.org/790/Waste-Prevention-Resources.