How Mason jars are making one Halifax restaurant more eco-friendly

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The question of how to reduce waste and save money at the Halifax restaurant Adam McIntyre runs — and make it more eco-friendly — was one he couldn't answer.

So he sought some help.

McIntyre is the food and beverage operations manager at the Delta Barrington in Halifax, which includes the Tempo restaurant. He sat down with his culinary team and director of operations to brainstorm ideas.

He even spoke to the Environment Department.

That led to the idea of serving salad in a Mason jar at a cost of $10.

"It comes with quinoa, beets, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, chickpeas, lettuce and a roasted red pepper vinaigrette, and that's all in the Mason jar," said McIntyre.

Customers can take the salad away and eat it. If they return the jar and lid, their next Mason jar salad is only $6.

He said the response has been positive. While some people are keeping the Mason jars, many are returning them for a discount on their next salad.

"For the initial buy, for any given month, we probably get an 80 per cent return, to reuse again. We see the same customers, day in, day out, and we get great feedback. Just to reuse, that's the whole point of this." 

The only way the program works, though, is if customers mix the salad on their own plates, with their own cutlery.

"It kind of works better for hotel guests," said McIntyre. "They can take the jar up to their room, and we'll supply them with a bowl, cutlery, condiments, whatever they need."

Salad system still involves some plastic

It isn't a perfect system.

The lid for the Mason jars is also plastic, though it's durable and can be reused. In order for the salad to stay separate from the dressing, the dressing comes in a single-use plastic container.

McIntyre said he's priced Mason jar lids that have a built-in dressing holder, which is the next phase of the program. He said their high price would force the salads to become more expensive.

"We have tested out having the dressing layered at the bottom," said McIntyre. "However, once a guest takes the jar and puts it in their bag to go, it moves around and gets everywhere.

"The salad is made to stay fresh over the course of the day, and if it was sitting in the dressing, it would not be the same quality."

So, even when a zero-waste idea is implemented, there can be compromises. But if the idea is to minimize — or eliminate — plastic waste, it takes more effort and a bigger investment of time and money. People are getting on board. 

No-package stores are popping up

A café and gift shop located on Nova Scotia's South Shore has eliminated the takeout coffee cup, without much negative reaction from customers.

The Point General in Blue Rocks is run by Katherine Marsters, who offers ceramic cups for people. If they want to take a coffee away, they have to provide their own cup. 

"Blue Rocks is at the end of a long winding road near the ocean," said Marsters, "It's really nice not to rush off, so I just encourage people to take their coffee in a ceramic mug, sit out on the deck and just relax for five minutes. It kind of forces them to take a break in their day."

She said it also provides an opportunity for her to talk about waste. If people ask for coffee to go, she'll explain why that's not possible.

"There might be hesitation in the beginning, but they often say, 'Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to relax and unwind,'" said Marsters. "It's a really nice opportunity, especially because we're right on the ocean, to talk about plastic in the ocean."

Waste reduction includes examples we never see

One of the people on the forefront of the environmental movement in Halifax is Lil MacPherson, the owner of the Wooden Monkey restaurants. She purchased land to start her own farm to help grow produce for her business.

She said a lot of local greens arrive at restaurants in plastic bags. For her farm-grown produce, she uses reusable plastic tubs that she washes after every use. 

"One of our biggest crops is local greens," she said. "All restaurants use 20-pounders, they're containers we get from fish deliveries. I started using those and they work great. They'll last for years. You can recycle them as well, but we just use them. The chef also found that our lettuce lasted way longer, and was crispier, and just fresher."

MacPherson is taking other steps to reduce and eliminate other plastic waste at her restaurants, as well as conserve water.

She has a life hack she likes to share with people when it comes to plastic packaging. She said that when people get a product wrapped in plastic, they should call the company and tell them that while they love the product, they will stop buying it if it continues to come in plastic.

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