Bo picks up the containers weekly to return to the warehouse where they are power-washed and ready to be distributed and used again.
“Restaurants save money on the cost-per-use, they have a better presentation because they’re using products built for 1,000 uses,” said Mishel Wong, the founder of Bo.So far, she estimates that in the past year, its containers have been borrowed over 3,000 times.The company offers reusable containers and solutions for catering services for the film industry and retirement homes.They also offer a power wash service to companies such as Lufa Farms with its crates and plastic cups used at events.
“It’s super exciting,” Wong said. “It’s a great time to test out different systems that might work for everybody and for reuse to become mainstream.” And soon things will, as the city of Montreal is banning single-use plastics in March. The ban includes Styrofoam cups and take-out containers. “In about 30 years, there will be 10 times more single-use plastic if we don’t do anything,” said Karel Ménard, the executive director of the Quebec Coalition for Ecological Waste Management. “So it’s very important to stop using single-use plastic and I would say single-use items.”Meanwhile Wong says her next step is developing locally-produced “Bo cups” for coffee and drinks. They also develop custom-made solutions for businesses.