New Crates

Our new crates have arrived and this week all pick-up sites will receive their vegetables in crates!

Why is this a more environmentally sound choice? The waxed cardboard boxes that we have used in the past are reusable for about 4 or 5 deliveries, but they lose strength with exposure to the elements. Since they are waxed, they are not recyclable. Once they weaken, they go to the landfill–this means that if we use waxed boxes for everybody (currently about 350 – 400 member deliveries per week) we send thousands of the boxes to the landfill every year. In order to make the waxed boxes last as long as possible, we’ve also used the big plastic liner bags, which add to the waste stream as well. It’s true that the crates are made of plastic, but in the few years that we have been using them for half our sites, we have never had one break. They should last for as long as we are in business delivering vegetables. Furthermore, the company that makes them will take back any that do break to recycle.

What does this mean for me? The main thing that this means for you is that you need to remember to bring your own bags to transfer your vegetables into. To make that easier, we are sending along a High Ground Organics Bagito (reusable bag) for everybody this week. (Biweekly B members will get one next week.) Please do not take the crates home with you – and if anyone has one at home, please return it to your pick-up site as soon as possible – no questions asked! When you pick up your vegetables, please just leave the crates nestled into each other at the pick-up site with the flaps open. 

What took you so long?  Those of you who’ve been with us for a long time know that we started this transition a few years ago. We got half the crates we needed in that first push. It was a big initial expense, and we raised the money for that first half through a campaign that many of you contributed to. Thank you! We really appreciate your donations, and for those of you who haven’t seen the crates at your site, we realize you probably have been wondering where that money went! There are several reasons that it took us this long to get to 100% crates. One big stumbling block was figuring out how to wash out the crates without using excessive amounts of water. We didn’t want to trade one environmental negative for another. Our low-tech method of spraying out the crates with a hose also took up a lot of room in the packing shed the day after delivery, with crates drying everywhere. This technical challenge is right down Steve’s alley, but he has been operating at less than full limb availability for some time, and other projects kept rearing their heads and needing to be dealt with. 

How will you wash out the crates? The solution that Steve has come up with is a converted commercial dish washer! We are drilling drainage holes in the bottoms of the crates and will be able to run them through the dishwasher with water and Tsunami (a hydrogen peroxide based cleaning solution). This method will not use much water and will be time-efficient as well – we just need to feed the crates through on rollers like we use for the packing line.

What if I accidentally brought a crate home? We realize that we sprung crates on some pick-up sites over winter without letting you know they were coming, so we understand that some people brought them home because they had no way to transport the veggies. Please just return any crates you have to your pick-up sites.

Thank you for your support in this endeavor!