Compostable Trays, Reusable Bags and Our Journey to Sustainability
Caring for the health of our seniors goes beyond delivering nutritious meals—it demands attention to every step in our process. Recent years have seen us progress toward sustainability focused goals. Though our wish list for additional measures continues to grow as we identify new possibilities, we are proud of what we have achieved in the name of continuous improvement.
We were an early adopter of compostable trays, a superior alternative to single-use plastic. Unlike plastic, which can take centuries to break down, compostable items decompose within months. Particularly with respect to food safety, toxic packaging can be an area of concern. Certain plastics can release harmful chemicals like BPA and phthalates into food.
This risk can be compounded when plastic containers are heated in a microwave. Heat softens certain plastics and can increase the risk of leaching toxins into foods. While more research is needed on microplastics, they have gained attention in recent years. Studies suggest that they could potentially lead to inflammation, immune system disruption and other health problems. Of the meals we produced last year, 99% were packaged in compostable trays.
We have also avoided significant plastic waste through our use of insulated reusable bags, a program we piloted in our southern service territory. Three hundred clients in the Tri-Cities (Fremont, Newark and Union City) receive meal trays, beverages and side dishes in insulated tote bags that they keep in their homes. By serving our clients in Southern Alameda County with reusable tote bags, we avoid using approximately 33,800 single-use plastic bags per year.
Other parts of our distribution system feature reusable elements, including more than 161 soft fabric-insulated cooler bags that our drivers use for delivery, which use far less plastic than traditional thick plastic coolers. They are also lighter in weight, which poses safety and ergonomic value to our warehouse employees and our drivers and feature greater inside carrying capacity.
As an operationally complex organization, meeting sustainability goals is no simple feat. Our focus has been on gradual change.
“While our team is excited and proud to have taken these important steps, we also recognize that there is further work to be done,” says our Executive Director, Charlie Deterline. “We look forward to working with local partners and legislative bodies to continue to improve our energy efficiency, reduce our reliance on gas-powered vehicles and move further away from using single-use materials.”
We are thankful to supporters including Stop Waste, the Fremont Bank Foundation, the Alameda County Transportation Commission and to the many individual donors whose generous gifts have helped us invest in these improvements. And we know that our work is not done. In 2025 and 2026, we hope to continue to reduce plastic waste in our distribution and to make robust investments in energy-efficient kitchen equipment that will further reduce our carbon footprint.