For the past fortnight, a number of cafes and restaurants in Clontarf have been piloting Ireland's first digital platform for reusable takeaway packaging.
Customers have been able to order takeaway food and drink, in specially produced packaging, which can be reused again and again.
They don't incur a cost for this packaging as long as it is returned or dropped back and scanned at another participating business.
Michelle Moloughney, owner of Olive's Room in St. Anne’s park and co-founder of VYTAL Ireland, said: "Single-use plastic may be convenient, but the problem is, you use it once and then throw it away. That has a devastating impact on our planet.
"During the pandemic we became increasingly concerned by the amount of waste we were producing, both at home and in the business. So we started to look for solutions.
"We were already recycling and composting, so we started to look at reusables. We looked at different systems in Germany, New Zealand and in Spain. We landed on Vytal - a really easy to use system, that's cheap, convenient and really works.
"As a customer, all you do is download the Vytal app on your phone. You go to the cafe counter to order your coffee, deli item or your pizza, which will be individually assigned QR coded packaging. You are effectively borrowing the container and it won't cost you anything, as long as you return it to a drop-back point within 14 days."
Up to 200 million single-use coffee cups are thrown away in Ireland every year, and cannot be disposed of in recycling bins.
While the levy on disposable cups - or the 'latte levy' as it has been called - is seen as a first step away from single-use packaging, reusable systems are more sustainable.
However, a shift to reuse requires significant buy-in from all sectors of the community.
The Clontarf project has been supported by Dublin City Council, Eastern Midlands Waste Region (EMWR) and Canada Life Reinsurance.
Ms Moloughney said: "Our aim is to reduce single-use plastic waste in Clontarf by 75% in a period of six months. We also want to start moving the project nationwide. Every city, every town, every canteen, everywhere food is produced. It will make a massive difference if they are all using reusable products."
Initial feedback from the public has also been positive.
Deirdre Nichol, chairperson of the Clontarf Residents' Association, said: "The beauty of this is its simplicity. We all want to do something that's good for the environment, we just don't necessarily know what to do. But this is a simple. If you want to get a takeaway coffee, you get it in a reusable cup.
"We want to demonstrate here in Clontarf what can be achieved elsewhere."
