Do overflowing garbage cans by the lunch tent sound familiar to you?

This could soon be a thing of the past with a little effort from productions to use reusables. In fact, that’s the name of one local start-up which partnered with Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem to provide a variety of stainless-steel containers for both catering and craft service which would be collected up at the end of the day and exchanged for clean ones.

Reusables.com had already worked with some Vancouver food retailers, universities, offices, and the 2021 TV Movie, Ties That Kill, but ramped it up for COIMM S1 which typically catered to 150-350 cast and crew each day.

Return bins were placed at catering, craft service, and circus to collect the insulated bowls, two sizes of containers, and coffee cups, alongside the compost and recycling bins, which made for drastically less waste--21% less garbage tipping costs to be precise! And avoiding the use of nearly 5 tons of packaging and 20 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions!

Reusables.com is now set to launch a mobile cleaning solution that will handle the washing and sterilizing right by set and are eager to take on new shows. Another local business eyeing up Vancouver’s film industry is sharewares.ca, who currently have trackable reusable polypropylene containers being circled around town for local food and coffee retailers as well as a pilot program with Skip the Dishes. They say they’ll be ready to take on a film set by March.

There’s also a low-tech solution, especially for shows that are primarily indoor/studio-based, which is to invest in solid plates and cutlery and a good old-fashioned industrial dishwasher – which is exactly what DGC BC Members Clara George, Matthew Chipera, and Mary Jo Beirnes did while working on The Magicians a few years back.

A more circular economy is the only way to sustainability – reusing is the answer to reducing both landfill waste and emissions. Change IS possible. Get on board the merry-go-round!

For more ideas on ways to effect change, check out DGC National’s DGC Green site as well as Creative BC’s Reel Green website for new industry initiatives, green vendors, events and courses you can take.

Tell me what your show is doing to be more sustainable! Do you have a green tip or success story you'd like us to share in a future Ebulletin? Send me an email at awilczur@dgcbc.com.

Annabelle Wilczur
DGC BC Assistant Business Agent