In partnership with Ball Corp., the city of Savannah recently launched a new aluminum cup pilot program for businesses in Savannah’s to-go cup zone called “The New Way To-Go.” The pilot program aims to introduce aluminum-based to-go cups into circulation throughout Savannah’s go-cup zone.
The city government has worked closely with local bars, restaurants, breweries, and the Georgia Restaurant Association to launch the initiative to create the voluntary pilot program.
Since the program is voluntary, the city does not require restaurants and other local businesses to add the cups to their inventory nor does it cost to participate. Instead, the program offers aluminum cups as an alternative to the standard to-go fare, and companies can choose to use them or not. Fourteen local businesses currently participate in the initiative, including Abe’s on Lincoln and b. Matthew’s Eatery, which are owned and operated by the Gaslight Group.
“The Gaslight Group chose to participate in this pilot program because it’s the right thing to do for our environment and our city,” says Carey Ferrara, the director of sales and marketing at the Gaslight Group. “The Gaslight Group has always been committed to lessening our footprint on the environment as much as possible. We don’t use Styrofoam packaging for our to-go program and we try our best to use sustainable products whenever possible. Taking part in this pilot is just a natural continuation of a commitment that we made from the beginning. A program like this will benefit all of us, guest and restaurateur, long term.”
Besides mitigating the impact of plastic on the environment and reducing the amount of waste produced in the city, these sustainable cups allow restaurateurs to save on the amount of to-go cups they have to buy. While the city has provided staff support, each establishment will remain responsible for offsetting the cost of the cups.
“If we all have aluminum cups and we all allow a “trade out” type program between our businesses, we would each have to buy fewer to-go cups,” says Ferrara. “Currently, if a customer brings an aluminum cup into one of our restaurants and would like to purchase a new drink, we trade their cup for a new aluminum cup and we wash and sanitize their exchanged cup like we would any other glass. We understand that many of these aluminum cups will either go home with our guests or end up being recycled but any that we see come through our doors for refills are a win.”
Alongside participating establishments’ feedback, each go-cup has a QR code for guests to scan and take a survey to inform the city about the program’s success or failure.
“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback so far. We’ve heard from locals, visitors and other businesses in town,” Ferrara says. “We had a team member who was stopped on the street and asked where they could get one of the cups.”
The pilot program will last 60-days. After, the city will share its findings with the community to determine the program’s future.
