 Welcome to this episode of Talk of the Town. I am joined today by three guests, which is a little bit unusual, and we are certainly appreciative of their time as always. We're going to be talking today about a group in town doing an awful lot of work behind the scenes, and we're going to be talking about a program that they are involved with, which is right out front and center, and we want to bring more understanding, but also just get the word out that this is going on, because we're sure that folks in Arlington are interested. So, specifically, I have right next to me, excuse me, Emily Dirts, and then Jennifer Campbell, they are both committee members for the Zero Waste Arlington, on the Zero Waste Arlington Committee, and at the end of the table, Peter McCarthy is the owner of Za restaurant. Why is that important? Or co-owner, let me say, excuse me, to Peter's wife, co-owner, and you may be wondering why you're going to find out, okay? So first of all, I would like to start, we're going to talk about No Plastics Please, that is the program that Peter is involved with and that you guys have initiated, but I'd like to start actually by giving people a primer, more or less, on Zero Waste Arlington, its composition, its history, you know, what it is that you guys have been up to already, that kind of thing. So how about, Jennifer, can you do that for us? Sure, so Zero Waste Arlington is a town committee. We work to reduce all forms of waste through education and advocacy to residents, to businesses, and to town officials. So we're a volunteer committee, we're composed of about 10 core committee members, and we work with lots of other community partners, and we actually work very closely with the town's recycling coordinator to educate people about how they can consume less and dispose of household waste responsibly. We have a website, ZeroWasteArlington.org, so we hope people will go there, they can find out more about us, sign up for emails and our monthly newsletter, and we also have a Facebook page where people can learn more. And is 10, for, you know, I was wondering about the composition of the committee, is 10, like, what you aim for, or just what happens to be the number at the moment? How is it that that, you know, is the case? It's been 10 as long as I've been involved, which has been since 2020. Emily, do you know if that's the official number? Yeah, I think we have 10 seats on the committee. So we have the 10 of us that are committee members, and then we have quite a few people who kind of come in ad hoc, you know, depending on what we're working on and their interest level in that topic. And I think that ZeroWasteArlington is the latest or a newer iteration of a group that already existed before that. Do you know about the history there? Yes, it used to be called the Recycling Committee, and that's actually very telling the fact that the group has changed its name from the Recycling Committee to ZeroWaste Arlington, because ZeroWaste is really a more holistic and comprehensive sort of view. So recycling is important, but it's a post-consumer behavior. That's what happens when something is at the end of its life and you're getting ready to dispose of it. Whereas ZeroWaste is all about pre-consumer choices to try to cut down on the number of things you have to dispose of in the first place. So we like to talk about the five Rs, which are refuse, reduce, reuse, rot, and recycle. So refuse and reduce are about saying no to excess packaging. For example, maybe you don't need the straw or you don't need the plastic utensils, something we'll talk more about later. Or maybe you don't need the plastic bag at the convenience store. Reuse is about switching to permanent reusable alternatives. So a very common one that lots of people have these days is a refillable water bottle, so that you don't need to buy plastic bottles of water or a travel mug for coffee, for example. Rot is composting to reduce food waste, and then recycling is the fifth step, and it is important, but again, it comes at the end of all of those behaviors to try to cut down on our consumption to begin with. Yeah, I have to say, I don't think it's a surprise to people or to too many that I am married to the recycling coordinator you're referring to. And it is funny for me to have been with her over these years and find out how often she says to me and to others that something might as well just go in the trash because recycling is not the answer to everything as it turns out. And so I'm so glad that you've kind of elaborated on the five Rs as you've put it, and that really that that covers the entire cycle from, as you said, the conception and how are you going to make this product and deliver it and consume it, etc., all the way through to how are you going to responsibly dispose of it. Yeah, it's really important and the plastic pollution crisis is in part because plastics are very difficult to recycle and only a small percentage of them get recycled in any case. So for example, with plastic water bottles, only about 20% of them get recycled. The rest of them end up in landfills or they end up as litter in our streets and our roadways and in our waterways. So that's part of the reason that in 2022 the town passed a ban on single use plastic water bottles. So it really reflects the fact that our town is very concerned about the plastic pollution crisis. And there's actually been a series of efforts to reduce it. So in 2018, the town passed a ban on single use plastic bags. And that was followed in 2019 by a ban on polystyrene and styrofoam. And then in 2022, the ban on the single use plastic water bottles. So it's great that our town has made these efforts. It just speaks to the fact that we really care about these issues. And it's increasingly important, and today we're going to talk about restaurant practices, which is super critical because 60% of Americans get takeout or delivery once a week. It's really a way of life for a lot of us. And a statistic that I found, especially shocking, is that Americans are using 36 billion plastic utensils a year and 142 billion straws. And if you think about it, all that is plastic that is used one time and then it's thrown away. And all of that discarded plastic has a huge impact on our environment. It breaks down into microplastics that last forever. It contaminates our oceans. It destroys habitats. It harms wildlife. So any effort that we can take to address this single use plastic pollution crisis is really critical. And like you said, there is the town approach, which has seen, via referendum and other kinds of policy decisions, bans being imposed. And we're all in favor of that, obviously. But there's also what you guys are doing in this particular case, which is getting folks just kind of lined up around a policy shift or a shift in the way, in the practice practices. So just explain to us, please, Emily, what no plastics please is all about. I mean, exactly, James. As you've said, this idea, as Jennifer described, I mean, I think a lot of us are frustrated about how much plastic just kind of comes into our lives. And zero waste Arlington wanted to figure out a way to help empower people to push up, push against it. But there's so much plastic. It's really hard to come up with a comprehensive single campaign that's going to deal with all plastic waste. So we decided to focus in on the unnecessary and unwanted plastic items that you might get during your restaurant dining experience. And the goal here is, as you said, James, it's really to kind of shift the default from offering your customer every single possible item that they might need for their dining experience to just simply inserting the question, do you need this before I give it to you? So before I give you a straw, before I give you this condiment packet, do you really need this to enjoy your meal? So you mentioned bans and regulations. Just to be clear, this is not intended to be a ban. This is not intended in any way, shape or form, to control how a restaurant interacts with their customer. It's not intended to diminish the enjoyment of the meal. It really is just inserting that simple question, do you need this item before I give it to you? And if the answer is yes, then the person is welcome to have it. The restaurant is welcome to give it to them. But if the person doesn't need it, then it's not given, and it doesn't become waste in the first place. So kind of going back to Jennifer's the R's, the refuse and the reduce. Specifically, what we're asking restaurants to do is kind of twofold. So for the dining-in experience, a no-plastic-please restaurant would serve on reusable plates, reusable, give you reusable utensils and reusable drinkware, and then only provide things like straws and condiment packets and extras if the customer asks for them. And then turning to take out and delivery if, for a no-plastic-please restaurant, the requirement is just to only provide these single-use items like straws, utensils, and napkins, again, if the customer requests them. So we're not intending to prevent people from enjoying their meals or prevent businesses, restaurants from adequately serving their customers. It's really just to ask that question, do you really need this thing I'm giving you before it's given and immediately turned into waste? Yeah, so I do, right from when I first heard about this, I have to say, I just appreciated so much the simple genius of the idea because it's just like the opt-in, opt-out choice, right? You just change it from being something that, anyway, in this case, as you say, it's very, very simple, right? All you're doing, you're not changing any basic practice or anything that you're not taking anything away that somebody might want. You're just doing your best to make sure that people are mindful of the fact that they may not need it. And when asked, maybe their decision is going to be, actually, no, I guess I don't, right? And that's probably who you really, the best target audience in a sense for this, is not those folks who are going to say, of course I want, damn it, you better give it to me, right? That's a certain thing that's going to take a while. But I think there's probably a large mass of people who, well, they accept it and they throw it, you know, they get home, they go, shoot, I forgot to, you know, and they throw it out. And this is, again, just going to allow them to be more mindful of that decision, right? Exactly. So, obviously you need partner restaurants in order to do so. And I understand that six have signed up so far in town. Yes. Yeah, so we have Rosa Granola, Sashwan Dumpling, and The Heights Pub. We also have an Arlington Center, Punjab, Nuda Market, and Saaf. Yes, and so Peter, welcome to the conversation. Thank you for your patience. But yeah, we really want, I'm very interested in finding out what your experience has been so far. What was your initial reaction upon being approached? What are the ups and downs or the pros and cons of this for you? For us, it's really easy. We're already doing it. It's these practices that we felt that we should be doing. We've always tried to be conscious of the environment and of what we do as a restaurant does to the community. And I remember 25 years ago, we opened up for a restaurant. Everything went into one dumpster, just right in the dumpster. And then it was out of recycle bin. And then it was out of compost bin. And now the dumpster is huge, but that's the recycle. And then the compost is small, and the trash is even smaller. It's really changed. But as far as no plastics, please, quite a while ago, we decided straws only upon request. The takeout plastics, one-time use plastics, only if someone asked for them. And that's just big sense. So I guess you were an easy one, right? As far as it goes. But does that mean that there's no changes that you've had to make? There's no sacrifices of any sort, either logistical or financial or anything? There are many changes. A long time coming. I think it's just how we've always operated is trying to do the best that we can to be part of the communities and buying local food. And I don't have any good practices. We have kids who want things to be right for our kids since they get older and set a good example. And a lot of these things do cost more. But if you're using a lot less of them, they don't cost as much. So overall, I mean, there's not been a financial impact on you of any interest. It's up and down. Certainly, the compostable cost more than plastics. But at the same time, it's an easy choice. Yeah, and as you were mentioning before we went on air, you guys live in Arlington as well. So you're kind of part of this community-focused effort. And I imagine that that brings you a certain amount of satisfaction in and of itself. I believe that the people in Arlington feel the same way as we do. And we try to be part of that, just to put it back. And reflect that. Yes. Yeah, that's awesome. But I imagine that then, as I said earlier, Emily, Peter was an easy one, right? That makes sense. However, you've gotten six. I can't imagine you've only approached six restaurants. So what have you heard from the folks who aren't signed on to this right now? Yeah. What are their concerns? So I would say, by far and large, everybody appreciates that this is something that people in Arlington care about. And I think they're trying to respond to what their customers need. We spoke to some restaurants that do a lot of lunchtime delivery or lunchtime takeout. And there, the expectation for the customer is, well, I'm going to eat this in my car. And so I might need all of these different single-use items. And it becomes cumbersome for the restaurant to ask every single time, because predominantly, maybe that customer base might want it. So for them, restaurants that have that type of a business, it is a lot to ask them to shift and risk alienating their customers. But they were certainly mindful of it and interested in talking more about a way to figure out, is there a way to implement this? So I think most people were receptive. Nobody suggested that they didn't think it was an issue, that they didn't hear from their customers. It's just a way, I think the challenge is implementing it in a way that the customers remain satisfied, because certainly after the pandemic, I mean that hit restaurants so hard, they're just coming back. And that's why we're also kind of slowly expanding the program, slowly rolling it out and talking to restaurants, not in an intense space, trying to have multiple conversations, because there's lots of things that a restaurant experience is that we, as non-restaurant owners, don't understand. And so we're learning so much from our partners, things that we should ask for, things that we should modify, and ways that we can help educate the community so that it's easier for them to make those types of changes. And did you want to say something? Well, just to add on to that, that to Emily's point, restaurants really are responsive to their customers. So that's why it's so important for consumers as well. We as residents also have some power to say no to extra plastic coming into our lives that we don't want or need. So for example, if I'm ordering takeout, if there's a little box for special instructions, I always add a note saying, no plastic utensils please. Just my way of letting the restaurant know that it's not something I want or need. And I think if restaurants hear that message from their customers, they will be responsive to it. You have to listen to your customers. They're paying you bills, you have to listen. Yeah, and it's, I mean, I have the feeling that there are plenty of people who can relate to our own situation, which is a lot of the time we'll order out from a restaurant and go pick it up. I'll go pick it up usually and I'll get home and I'll open the bag and I'll go, oh my God, I forgot to tell them that I don't want all that stuff. And again, it would almost be a favor to folks like me, if more and more restaurants will make that, if the default will be I open that bag and it's not there because I didn't say I wanted it. That will make, that will work much better for me as a consumer, as you said. Could be an option on the website. Great, great. I love it when it is. I love it when there's an option where I can check. You know utensils needed, absolutely. Yeah, that's a great idea. Peter, let me ask you, you know, Emily described the program having a dine-in component and a dine-out component. My sense would be that it's takeout where you really, this is gonna have the biggest interest. Is that your, is that your experience? For us, we've never really just automatically given takeout utensils, plastic utensils with takeout. First off, it's pizza, usually by hand. But we also have salads and desserts, but it's just always been, if someone asks, or if we know someone is going to the car, having a lunch outside, you know, we may prompt them, would you like, but we never automatically give it to them. So it really hasn't changed what we're doing at all. And the dine-in, you know, a while ago, we switched from plastic straws to compostable, and same thing with the plastic, to go drink containers to compostable ones. And it's just, we did that years ago because we felt it was what we should be doing. So let me ask you guys then, whether the other restaurants were in general, as you have, as you kind of see this playing out, is my surmise kind of, you know, accurate at all that it's really the biggest impact is gonna be on the takeout side, or do you really see that the dine-in, there's a lot that can be changed there as well? I think that's probably correct, right? I think that the takeout is probably where there's the biggest opportunity to reduce the amount of waste, because, you know, for every person that is eating there in the car, there's probably more that are bringing it home and eating where they have a drawer full of silverware. So we do think that that will be the biggest change because those are probably the items that are most likely to not be used because many of these things are being eaten in the home where those, or like ketchup packets and things like that. I mean, I have a bottle of ketchup in my refrigerator, and so when I forget to tell them I don't want it and I have this giant handful of ketchup packets, I think, oh shoot, what am I gonna do with all this? I have this giant bottle in my refrigerator. So we are thinking that that will be the predominant impact is removing that waste. I would say that for dining in straws are the big issue because there are restaurants that still automatically put a straw in a drink, but an increasing number of places like Sa have moved to make it an option. So if somebody wants it or needs it, they can request it, but it's not automatically in every glass of water or other beverage that's on the table. Yeah, and it's not, again, like condiments and other kinds of things that come in packets that if you're in the restaurant, at least, you can turn around and just give it right back or leave it there. If your glass arrives with a straw, the damage is done already, no matter what you would like yourself. So you guys have, as we've already mentioned, the six restaurants already signed up and you've initiated this program and now we're talking about it and hopefully helping you to get the word out that it exists. What are the next steps for this program as you see it? Is it simply, organically, you were saying, a little bit at a time just expanding out within Arlington, are you gonna concentrate more on take out heavy places? I mean, I think we do have a list of the restaurants and we are kind of methodically moving through them. We definitely welcome suggestions. So restaurant owners who feel like they meet these requirements, please reach out and we will definitely come and visit your restaurant, have a conversation. We provide a little sticker decal for restaurants to put into the window and then we also have a webpage that we maintain that highlights all of these restaurants. So if you have a tip, if you're a restaurant owner or a customer and your favorite restaurant seems like they meet these criteria, we're more than happy to kind of come and talk with those businesses to make sure that they get the credit that they deserve as, like Peter, there's probably many other restaurants that are like Zah and are really have this, they're already implementing. I like to think so. Yeah, and we just haven't found them all yet because we are a limited number of people who are able to get out there, so we welcome tips. But you were mentioning if the restaurants meet the requirements or criteria, what kinds of restaurants might not or what are those criteria that you're referring to? That they don't meet. I think it is so for some of the more kind of fast food type of establishments where a person is maybe not gonna sit down, they'll just maybe eat at a counter or something like that. A lot of times that is not being served on a reusable plate or they are providing plastic forks for in-house dining. So I think we are trying to figure out if there is a way that Zero Waste Arlington could help them maybe perhaps change their supply of spoons and forks for in-house dining get them to change to a reusable set. So there are, I would say the faster food establishments would be the ones that are relying more on that single use disposable things. And I think that's where the partnership comes in where we really need to talk to them and find out is there something, a way that we can help you change the in-house dining experience? So I can tell that basically this is an initiative that you could put into practice pretty quickly with some partners, but basically it falls within a larger context in which you're interested as Zero Waste Arlington in just collaborating with restaurants about how to make maybe the improvement, maybe the changes that a restaurant could make wouldn't be exactly the same as what No Plastics Pleases is about. But if they're receptive to working with you guys about how to make their practices better than they are currently in these terms, then you'd be more than... Of course, we're learning a lot. We're learning from them. We're learning the struggles and the challenges that they face and we're definitely interested in trying to figure out a way to reduce the plastic. And we're always trying to find better ways to do it. So it's a two-way street. And would you say, yeah, would you say, Peter, that again, I'm not asking you to be a proxy for all restaurant owners or anything like that, but would you say in general that there is a receptivity on the part of other owners that you know to this kind of thing or? I don't know. I think that a lot of times it's initially it's like, okay, we're doing this because we want to do it. It's not because other people think we should be doing it or what other restaurants are doing. It's the right thing to do, so let's do it this way. And for a while, it seemed like not a lot of places were receptive to making those changes. And the more receptive restaurants that are to doing it, the lower the cost will be, the less plastic will be produced, the more compostable, which hopefully is a good thing, will be used in its place. And I think it's just continue to try and learn and try and make it the best we can. And Jennifer, we're running out of time. I promised you guys it was gonna go fast and it has, right? But let me just ask you, this is one initiative that is current and that we will be tracking as you guys continue to roll it out. But what else can we expect? Yeah, thank you for asking. So the other initiative that we wanted to mention that we're excited about is Arlington on Tap. So again, Arlington recently passed a ban on single use plastic water bottles. So as part of that, we're really encouraging people to use refillable, reusable water bottles. And we want to expand access to Arlington's tap water, which is very high quality. So we're having a series of conversations with town stakeholders, town officials to try to expand the network of water refilling stations and outdoor locations, especially in places like along the bike path and at playing fields. And some great news is that the newest one was just established at Herd Field. So people can take advantage of that, which is terrific. And we hope that in the near future there will be some additional locations. And the other thing I should mention, since we're talking about restaurants, almost all restaurants in Arlington will give you a free glass of tap water with your meal. But there are some venues that actually offer water dispensers, where you can fill your water glass, you can fill your water bottle. So three that I know of are Kickstand Cafe, Roasted Granola, and the Capitol Theater. If you've been to the Capitol Theater in the concession area where you get your napkins or your condiments, there is a jug of water there, where you can fill a glass of water. So we hope that other restaurants will follow that practice. And just like we have the No Plastics Please window decal stickers. We also have Arlington on Tap. Window decal stickers for those places. And we have a map on our website where these water refill stations are located, both indoor and out. And hopefully that network will continue to grow. As somebody whose water bottle is never far from my side for many, many, many years now, I love that. I love the idea that I can have more places to refill it. So that's fantastic. Especially so many fields in town, so well used are those fields. The fact that Herdfield is now a place that you can do that. Let's hope that that's a harbinger of things to come. Definitely. All right, well I want to thank all three of you for sure for coming in to the conversation. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Thanks for the opportunity. Absolutely, in fact, let's just finish. I know we're a little bit over time, but let's just finish by repeating the six restaurants who are signed up so far to No Plastics Please. And the idea there is that maybe people who frequent those places can just let them know that they appreciate that perhaps, but even more so, think about the places that aren't on the list and where you as a consumer can kind of go in as Peter was saying, consumer is king, there is in other places, and maybe you can go in and have a chat as well with your local favorite restaurant. So the six are. Yeah, Rosa Cronola, Heights Pub, Sashwan Dundling, Poon Job, Noodle Market, and Za. Excellent. All right, so I have been speaking from Zero Waste Arlington Committee with Emily Dirts and Jennifer Campbell, and Peter McCarthy is the co-owner of Za restaurant. As I said, we do appreciate their time very much. We hope that it's been a valuable half hour for you. It has for me, that's for sure. This has been Talk of the Town. I am James Milan. We'll see you next time.