Make yourself re-useful

Have you ever had the experience of doing something well-meaning only to find out it’s against the law?For many of us, taking containers to the store or the restaurant is a regular practice that keeps single-use plastics from crowding our homes and ultimately, the landfill. So it might come as a shock to find out that Oregon’s health code actually does not allow for consumer- or store-owned reusable containers. If this is an important issue for you, spend an hour online this Friday, Aug. 26, to hear from small businesses and Oregon leaders in waste-reduction about opportunities to change the system.The event is hosted by Surfrider Foundation and facilitated by Senator Sollman, both participating in a subcommittee of Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Advisory Committee that is exploring rule changes to the state’s health code to better enable reusable containers. The purpose is to share information on the current process but also to gather feedback and hear from small business stakeholders actively operating in the reuse and zero waste retail space.Speakers include Senator Sollman, OR District 15, Charlie Plybon, Oregon policy manager for the Surfrider Foundation and Brit Snipes and Ryan Knowles, owners of the Realm Refillery.A facilitated Q&A will conclude the event.The webinar begins at noon. For more information, go to oregon.surfrider.org.