The circle of it: This company designs and implements a zero-waste container system for restaurants, thereby minimizing the environmental costs associated with take-out containers while retaining the convenience of takeout services
Dispatch goods
Summary
Dispatch Goods works with restaurants to provide reusable containers that can be taken out or loaned out while ordering a meal, thereby reducing the very problematic issue of single-use takeout containers that tend to be made with single-use plastic. Dispatch Goods targets restaurants near tech offices where there is a high volume of employee lunch orders, although the company also works with non-office clients as well. After use, employees drop off the containers in designated bins in their office, and Dispatch Goods collects them, cleans them and redistributes them to restaurants.
Story
Founder Lindsey Hoell noticed, while on a hike in Hawaii, that the sand was full of microplastics. She realized that this wasn’t a case of people littering, but rather because of ocean plastic. One source of ocean plastic of course is single-use takeout containers, and Hoell realized that restaurants didn’t have any good options for takeout and delivery orders. In 2019, Dispatch Goods started partnering with restaurants in San Francisco to test out its pilot iteration.
Pic credit: Fastcompany (right) and SF Chronicle (top)
“Looking at all of the lifecycle analyses available, it really shows that reuse is the best. It’s the gold standard. And the other component about reuse is that it’s a more delightful experience. I think we’ve gotten so used to eating out of garbage and we’re just now transitioning back to eating out of reusable packaging that has actual value. That’s the number one piece of feedback we get about Dispatch — that the experience is better than other takeout and delivery options.”
Lindsey Hoell, in an interview
Founder(s)
Lindsey Hoell, Maia Tekle
Headquarters
San Francisco, CA
In business since
2019
Technology
Introducing a reusable option into restaurant takeout scene; implementing an end to end reusable solution to rival convenience of takeout containers
Impact
As of September 2022, Dispatch Goods has diverted at least 1 million items from the waste stream (Source)
Business type
for profit
Website
The Circular People 
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