**UPDATED January 2022**

NB: This guide was created for reusables under Alert L3, but it remains relevant for contactless serves under the traffic light system in a No Vaccine Pass scenario.

This guide shares tips for hospitality outlets wanting to facilitate reusables for contactless Takeaway food and drink.

Let us know if your outlet has developed other methods for reusing while still managing food safety risks and contactless requirements. The more ideas we can share here, the better.

But first… Are retail and hospo allowed to accept reusables under Alert Level 3?

Yes. During the “original” Alert level 3 in May 2020, the Government confirmed that under Alert Levels 3 and 2, businesses are allowed to accept customers’ reusable cups and containers and/or operate reusable cup and container schemes, provided food safety risks are managed and all service complies with Alert Level 3 general service requirements. For more info, check the “Eating Out at Alert Level 3” section of this page on the official covid-19 website.

customers… Tips to help your favourite outlets embrace reusables safely:

Order your takeaway online, on an app or over phone. Let the outlet know you’ll BYO cup/container or would like your order in a reusable.
BYO CLEAN reusables only & hold onto your lids. The Covid-19 website suggests you wipe down your reusable cups and containers before and after you use them.
Stay outside & queue 2m away from others at all times. WEAR A MASK (reusable, if you can!). Sign in using the NZ Covid Tracer App or make a note of the outlet’s name and time you are there if you are keeping a manual record instead.
Be patient & kind. Hospo is having to adapt very quickly to operate under Alert Level 3 requirements. Making new workflows operate smoothly takes time.
Using a reuse scheme? Try not to be a hoarder ;-) Return the cup or container you’ve borrowed to keep it cycling through the system.

For hospo…

Coffee/drinks

BYO Cup - Click & Collect - the ‘contactless pour’

Follow these simple steps to fill a customer’s cup/glass:

Customer orders drink online, on an app or over the phone. Ask them if they will be bringing a reusable cup.
Customer queues outside outlet. Queues MUST follow social distancing requirements - everyone is 2m apart. Customers at the front of the queue stay 2m away from the servery.
Customers cannot enter outlets. When they reach the front of the queue they step forward & place their cup on a premarked spot on a table outside the outlet or at the window servery. The customer holds onto their cup lid (if they have one)
Customer steps back 2m.
The barista prepares the drink inside the cafe in a reusable cup or jug. If the order is coffee, the barista will keep the coffee shot & milk elements separate.
The barista comes out to the table & pours the drink into the cup (without touching the cup).
When finished, the barista steps back 2m.
Customer steps forward, grabs their drink, smiles, goes on their way.

Here’s an example of Benny rocking this method via video courtesy of Charlie Higgison of Runner Films:

Reuse Schemes - Click & Collect

Customers order their drink online, on an app or over the phone, at which point they are given the option to have the drink prepared in a reusable takeaway cup instead of a disposable. The reusable cup is lent to the customer through a system such as Again Again, CupCycling, Wanakup, Chunky, Good to Go, Mugcycle, Mugly, miKuppi, or The Koha Jar Project. The cup may be loaned for free (as with mug libraries or jars) or the customer is charged a refundable deposit or bond. Outlets are responsible for sterilising returned cups and should establish a safe take-back system for returned cups. See, for example, the best practice take-back workflow produced by Again Again.

Food

BYO Container - Click & Collect - The ‘contactless transfer’

This system looks pretty similar to the ‘contactless pour’ for Click & Collect drinks and coffee:

Customer orders their food online, on an app, or over the phone. Ask them if they’ll be bringing a reusable container.
Customer queues outside the establishment. Queues MUST follow social distancing requirements - everyone is 2m apart. Customers at the front of the queue stay 2m away from the servery. Everyone is wearing a mask.
Customers cannot enter outlets. When they reach the front of the queue they step forward and place their container on a table outside the outlet or at the window servery. The customer holds onto their container lid (if they have one)
Customer steps back at least 2m.
The kitchen staff will prepare the food inside onto a reusable plate or bowl or transfer it from the deli into a reusable plate or bowl.
The serving staff will come out to the table and transfer the food into the customer’s containr (without touching the container).
When finished, the serving staff will step back at least 2m.
Customer steps forward, grabs their container, smiles, goes on their way.

Here’s an example of Benny rocking this method via video courtesy of Charlie Higgison of Runner Films:

Reuse Schemes - for Click & Collect and Delivery

Pre-prepared food delivered in reusable glass jars (Yum Jar)

Reusabowl (Wellington only) - Reusabowl is a reusable takeaway food container scheme, working with partner eateries across Wellington. When ordering, customers are given the option of having their order put into a Reusabowl - customers pay a deposit that they get back when they return the Reusabowl for reuse. Outlets are responsible for sterilising returned containers and should establish a safe take-back system for returned containers. See Reusabowl’s guidelines for safely operating the system under alert level 3 for eateries and customers.
Offer a container take-back program - pack click & collect orders into reusable containers that your regular customers can borrow and return. This can be done on a deposit system to ensure that containers really do return. Outlets should establish a safe take-back system for returned containers. See, for example, the take back system and guidelines by Reusabowl for eateries and customers.
Implement a reusable container delivery model - give your customers the option of ordering their takeaway delivery in a reusable container that they leave out for you to pick up again on a later date (or which they can return through a contactless drop-off outside your outlet). See, for example, the Yum Jar system, including their Alert Level 3 takeback workflow.

Bits and Bobs

Cutlery, Bags and Straws

Refrain from giving out disposable cutlery and straws automatically - offer these ‘on-demand’ only.

Do your customers take sugar in their coffee? Leaving sugar sachets outside the cafe for customers creates single-use sachet waste while also inevitably leading to customers touching sachets that other customers have touched. Instead, try a contactless transfer of sugar from a spoon into the customer’s cup before pouring the coffee, or invite regulars to put sugar in their cup at home before collecting their coffee.
Encourage regulars to BYO bag for their click and collect food and drink orders so you don’t have to give out single-use bags.

Online ordering

Put a button or checkbox on your website or app ordering portal for customers to let you know that they’ll be bringing their own reusable or that they’d like to make use of any reuse schemes you operate for home deliveries. If you are working with an external app or delivery platform that doesn’t yet have this feature, ask them if they can add it in!

NZ's Guide to Contactless Reusables - for people and hospo