The circular fix for food packaging waste.

In food service, convenience still comes wrapped in plastic.

Globally, 36% of all plastic is used for packaging – most of it single-use, with food and beverage containers making up the largest share. From extraction to end-of-life, plastic packaging leaves a heavy environmental footprint – driving carbon emissions, polluting habitats, and perpetuating a throwaway economy. Yet despite growing pressure to cut waste, the systems needed to support reuse still aren’t in place.  

Restaurants and institutions are stuck between sustainability commitments and day-to-day operations. Reusables – a technology platform designed to reduce single-use packaging waste in communities – offers a way forward: a turnkey system that makes reuse not just possible, but practical.

A system built for everyday use.

Co-founded by Jason Hawkins and Anastasia Kiku during the pandemic, Reusables tackles what most reuse initiatives miss: convenience.

Their solution is refreshingly simple. Users borrow containers using a student card or credit card – no app required – and drop them into smart return bins once they’re done. It’s as seamless as grabbing a disposable, without the downstream impact.

“We like to compare it to a library – borrow what you need, return it when you’re done,” says Jason.  “If you don’t, there’s a refundable deposit, valid for up to 30 days.”

That model changes how people interact with reuse – it feels easy, familiar, and fair.

“And most importantly, it brings the containers back,” adds Jason. “Reuse only makes sense if you close the loop. Return rate is the metric that makes or breaks the model.”  

While most reuse programs rely on costly pickup routes or third-party logistics, Reusables integrates directly into existing operations. Their model allows institutions to wash and manage containers on-site – using the staff, space, and dishwashing equipment they already have.

That makes it easier and more affordable for partners like universities, hospitals, and private clubs to cut waste without overhauling their food service systems.

Backed by values-aligned capital.

Reusables has been a Vancity member since the beginning. An early grant from Vancity’s enviroFund helped Jason and Anastasia build and test their first prototype. As the company evolved—shifting from local restaurant pilots to institutional partners across North America—their financing needs changed too.

To help navigate that transition, Vancity provided a business line of credit that gave Reusables the breathing room to scale – support that has since contributed to unlocking follow-on investment. Recently, the company announced a $3.6 million seed funding round, which is now fueling its expansion across Canada and the U.S., including a major rollout with the University of California system.

“We love working with Vancity. They’ve been more than a financial institution – more like a partner alongside us as we’ve grown,” says Jason. “The team genuinely listens, and we felt they shared our values from the start. They believed in what we were building when it was still just an idea.”

By backing companies like Reusables, Vancity is helping build the infrastructure a circular economy depends on – where reuse replaces waste, and sustainability is part of how systems function, not an afterthought.

“Reusables is showing that meaningful change doesn’t always require disruption – it can come from quietly redesigning everyday routines,” says Michelle Bonner, Manager, Community Investment – Climate at Vancity.

“When reuse feels effortless, it becomes habit. And when institutions adopt those habits at scale, it reshapes what’s possible – for communities, for the planet, and for the future of food service.”