1 million fewer single-use plastics for Lake County operations in 2023? Two 'Fridges' to help
A pilot program to deploy two “Farmer's Fridges,” which hold and dispense fresh foods, is the next step in Lake County's initiative to reduce single-use plastics at its facilities.
The county board on Tuesday approved an agreement with Romaine Empire Inc. to place two of the machines, which dispense items with reusable and recyclable packaging, in county buildings on a trial basis.
The machines will be placed in the cafeteria of the government center in downtown Waukegan and the Central Permit building on the Libertyville campus.
With other changes, the county expects a reduction of about 1 million single-use plastics, such as eating utensils, cups and straws in 2023 compared to previous years.
“Exploring options like Farmer's Fridge and other companies, which provide alternatives to most single-use plastics, has been a crucial element in this initiative,” said Robin Grooms, the county's sustainability programs manager.
The contract with Chicago-based Romaine is not to exceed $96,000 annually with renewable options. The county must make up the difference for unsold items if sales are below $8,000 in a given month.
The county board in late 2021 adopted a policy to prohibit single-use plastics in county operations by Jan. 1, 2023. That was the beginning of a broader initiative spearheaded by Lake County Board member Jessica Vealitzek of Hawthorn Woods.
“We're reducing harmful waste as well as the initial demand for it,” Vealitzek said.
That one local government can keep 1 million pieces of plastic out of landfills and from leaching into the soil and water is a testament to what is possible, she added.
Single-use plastics account for about 40% of all plastics used every day, according to Grooms.
Last year, Lake County began to implement the policy by evaluating all food service operations and eliminating or replacing single-use plastics wherever possible, Grooms explained.
That included working with food service vendors to begin supplying hundreds of thousands compostable or nonplastic options for items such as cutlery, coffee cups or takeout containers, she said.
Plastic bottles in vending machines were replaced with cans, for example, and some machines were removed when there were options to get a similar product without plastic, Grooms said.
Also, county employees have been instructed not to buy single-use plastics such as forks, plates or tablecloths for their offices with county funds. The policy is being updated to accommodate situations where markets have yet to provide reusable or plastic-free alternatives for some products, Grooms said.
According to the company, Farmer's Fridge was founded in 2013 and has grown from one automated smart fridge to more than 600 locations throughout the U.S.
There are six locations in Lake County: Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington; Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago; Walgreens headquarters in Deerfield; Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville; Kemper Lakes Center in Lake Zurich; and, NorthShore University HealthSystem in Highland Park.
Handcrafted meals are delivered fresh to the automated smart fridges that offer a revolving menu of more than 25 salads, sandwiches, wraps, bowls, snacks and beverages.
The reusable containers either can be taken with a purchase or returned in the machine, Grooms said.