For awhile now we’ve been exploring ways to become more environmentally sound in our packaging. The waxed cardboard boxes we use to deliver CSA produce can be used several times, but the fact is, the boxes are not recyclable because of the wax coating and end up comprising a large portion of our landfill bulk from the farm. We’ve used the plastic liner bags to keep the produce fresh and to make the boxes last longer, but even with the bags, which also become part of the waste stream, we get between 4 and 10 uses out of each box. Last winter we asked around to other farms who have switched to plastic delivery crates and got a good report on crates from a company called Orbis.
Reports from Full Belly Farm were that not a single crate broke during the two years they had used them. The crates nest inside each other when empty, but have flaps that close the top so that they are stackable for delivery. When the end of life does come for these crates, the manufacturer will take back any broken containers and grind them down to use again, which makes them fully recyclable.
The difficulty comes in the initial purchase price of about $12 per crate. In the long run, using the crates will be cost-
effective for us, because we will no longer need to buy the waxed boxes over and over again, which now cost over $2 apiece. However for the initial purchase we need to buy two crates for every CSA subscriber, because we leave one at the site each week and pick it up with the next delivery. With a little buffer for our numbers to go up a bit and to take advantage of price breaks for buying in bulk, we should buy about 1400-1500 crates for $16,800-$18,000.
We want to go ahead with this switch, but we have some unexpected big expenses coming up, namely drilling a new well for our home farm property. We do not have the extra cash right now to make this purchase without your help. That’s why we are asking you to help us out if you can, so we can finally move along with this plan.
Please contribute to our crate-funding project by clicking on our WorthWild campaign. A suggested donation of $25 covers a single subscriber’s crate cost and we will throw in a High Ground Organics re-usable grocery bag as a gift. You can use it to carry your CSA produce home in! (But you don’t have to be a current CSA member to donate.) We appreciate all your help as we move towards less packaging waste.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
