Our mission is to accelerate environmental action in Banff National Park by normalizing reusable takeout in our community.

Project overview

BID is a pilot reusable container program that was created in order to address a specific issue written in Banff’s environmental master plan: how might we eliminate single-use items and plastics from the townsite? The goal of the program is to reduce the amount of single-use container waste and to validate a reusable scheme for Banff in the long run. This project began as a University capstone project spearheaded by Luna Kawano.

WHY does it matter?

• Single-use items and plastics are a hot topic on a local, national and global context.
• Community action is needed if Canada wants to meet our climate goals for 2030.
• The future of takeaway is reusable because the world demands of it.

WHY a reusable container program?

• It addresses the root problem of human consumption behaviour. Recycling initiatives and greener disposables alternatives are good, but the environmental benefits tend to be much smaller compared to reducing overall consumption.
• It has a visible impact. Visibility is important because it builds awareness, it shows people we do things differently here in Banff.
• It's economically viable. Both businesses & the municipality save money in the long term.
• It's been done before. It's not a guessing game in terms of why it’s viable or feasible—just about planning and implementing a solution that makes sense for Banff

HOW the program works

• CHOOSE: customers can choose to use the reusable option at any participating business
• PAY: Customers pay a $5 deposit ****per container
• DIVERT: Every time a reusable container is used, businesses divert waste and save money
• RETURN: customers return the container to any of the participating businesses and get their full deposit back
• CLEAN: Businesses clean & redistribute as needed with help from volunteers

WHAT is the impact?

• The environmental impact: reusable containers have less impact on the environment than disposables after 7-15 refills.
• The economic impact: every time a customer uses a reusable container, businesses will be saving money

WHAT is the value to businesses?

• Reputation & brand equity: businesses will be able to build on their reputation as a key player for sustainable practices in Banff.