Tiffin Indian Restaurant in Philadelphia has announced that they will offer a returnable, reusable food container program to eliminate a substantial amount of plastic containers they waste while completing takeout orders.

The program is dubbed, “Return2Tiffin,” and it offers new containers through Tiffin’s online ordering portal at tiffin.com. 

The containers created are durable, long-lasting, and made with 100% polypropylene. They are BPA-free, microwavable, dishwasher safe, and certified by the National Sanitation Foundation. 

The process of switching to the containers began on March 23 and has continued to improve how takeout food is packaged.

Tiffin President and CEO Munish Narula said his team had been searching for the right container for the environmentally friendly initiative. 

“We share our customers’ concern about the number of plastic containers we use every year that, more than likely, end up in the trash,” he said.

Narula also explained that this plan of action is the only one that is being offered in the city.

This innovative approach has been implemented because of the waste that has been scattered more on the streets of Philadelphia.

Although the new containers are still made of plastic, there is very minimal waste and will limit the excessive amounts of recyclable materials that get thrown away every day.

Environmental Protection Agency estimates from 2018 showed 14.5 million tons of plastic packaging was produced that year while less than 14% was recycled. The remainder ended up in landfills.

In 2018, landfills received 27 million tons of plastic.

Here is how the new program works: When ordering at tiffin.com, customers can choose the new containers during the checkout process.

After they are finished with the containers they are responsible for washing them and physically returning them to Tiffin, or giving them back to delivery drivers.

The containers will then be washed and sanitized again by the restaurant.

Customers have six weeks to make the return to avoid being charged the cost of the container. 

“We recognize the need for Tiffin to do its part to reduce our environmental footprint,” said Narula. “This is an easy way for us and our customers to have a positive impact on our Philadelphia home.”