In a recent episode of The Chat, host Will Peebles from the Chatham County Public Information Office sat down with environmental scientist Cloe Lamaire to talk about something that affects all of us—plastic pollution. Cloe works with Savannah Riverkeeper, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the 300-mile-long Savannah River. And according to her, our local waterways are facing a big challenge: fast-food packaging and single-use plastics.

Thanks to research from UGA and Savannah State, we now know that food-related litter is a major problem in Chatham County. But there’s some good news! Cloe shared an exciting project in the works called the "Reuse" program. It’s a partnership between Chatham County, other muncipalties, and the national nonprofit Perpetual. The beginning phase of the project is to swap out disposable to-go cups in Savannah’s open container zone for reusable ones. These cups—to be made of either stainless steel or durable plastic—would come with QR codes or RFID tracking, making it easy to collect, clean, and reuse them. The hope is to advance the program to include reusable containers for food within Chatham County.

If they secure EPA grant funding, the program could launch within the next year! Of course, changing habits and securing funding are big hurdles, but the Reuse program could be a game-changer for cutting down waste and keeping the Savannah River clean. 

Take the reusable foodware survey!