Patrons at several downtown restaurants and bars could soon have a new option when it comes to taking their cocktail or beer to-go as the city prepares to launch a pilot program for aluminum cups. While the cups might keep your drink colder, they're also more sustainable than the traditional plastic to-go cup.
The city council held a first reading of a proposed ordinance amendment for informational purposes during their meeting on Thursday.
The amendment would add the words, ‘and aluminum’ to the list of approved types of to-go cups alcoholic beverages can be dispensed in. The current list includes paper and plastic cups.
The pilot program, which is a result of a partnership with Ball Corp., which has two manufacturing plants in Rome, Georgia., will last 90 days, is set to tentatively launch on July 23.
Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely questioned how the cost of the new cups would impact small businesses, which are still dealing with the negative financial issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I'm just concerned that our small businesses who already have to deal with financial issues, I don't want them to be put in a position where they're going to have to come out of their budgets for extra monies,” she said.
City Manager Michael Brown said the amendment would simply be adding aluminum as an alternative to paper or plastic and businesses would be able to decide if they wanted to use them or not.
Alderman Nick Palumbo said the amendment would be a historic one and something he had been working on since March.
"This allows businesses the freedom of choice to get a new sustainable option that's out there, something that's infinitely recyclable. And this is an entirely voluntary operation, to give them the ability to express themselves," he said.
"You can put branding on it, you can do all kinds of good stuff with it, but it keeps plastics out of our landfill, it helps boost the value of our recycling product."
Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter said she was not aware of the initiative to change the ordinance until it showed up in council's documents ahead of Thursday's meeting.
"This administration has a way of picking and choosing who and what they want to get on this agenda by what council members, I have never since my time on council been able to get anything on the agenda," Gibson-Carter said.
"If I were, we wouldn't be where we are with regard to this crime crisis."
Due to the amount of questions and the impact the change could have on small business owners, Gibson-Carter said she felt that the issue should be tabled and a workshop be held, which Blakely agreed with.
Alderwoman Estella Shabazz, who was acting as mayor pro tem, said since Thursday’s reading was for informational purposes and discussion that tabling the issue wasn’t necessary.
"What we can do is everything that you're stating, that can happen before it comes back on the agenda, whenever it comes back on the agenda. That's the reason why we have a first reading,” she said.
Several businesses have already signed up for the pilot program, including Abe’s on Lincoln and b. Matthew’s Eatery, where sustainability has long been a part of their business model.
The two establishments are part of the Gaslight Group, which has always made sustainability and the use of more eco-friendly products part of our business model, according to Carey Ferrara, director of sales and marketing for The Gaslight Group.
“The Gaslight Group has been talking to other restaurants and restaurant groups for years about joining forces to buy in bulk in order to make using eco-friendly products more affordable,” Ferrara said.
“We're thrilled to see this pilot program taking off and hope that it is a huge success so we can potentially create more bulk ordering programs even if the push is led by individual restaurants moving forward.”
The city provided staff support for the program, but each business is responsible for the cost of the cups. Each establishment will determine the best way to absorb the cost either through a separate fee or wrapping the extra cost into the price of the drink.
The Gaslight Group doesn’t plan to change its pricing structure during the pilot program.
“We see this pilot as an opportunity to invest in the sustainability of our community. We want to see how well-received the program is before we make any pricing decisions or even decisions to continue the use of the cups after the pilot is over,” said Ferrara.
Gaslight signed up for the maximum allowed 5,000 cups, but aren’t sure exactly how many they’ll receive yet. They expect to still have some plastic cups on hand, which patrons are welcome to choose, if available.
The participating businesses have been an important part of the process, Palumbo told the Savannah Morning News earlier in the week.
“They’ve really helped, from the beginning, they helped shape this out and made sure that we did it right. We’ve gone through a bunch of different iterations and each time we’ve gotten more input, the process has gotten better,” he said.
Plastic vs aluminum
According to Sebastian Siethoff, general manager, Aluminum Cups at Ball, 91% of all plastic ever produced has not been recycled.
“Aluminum beverage packaging can be easily recycled and reused, and aluminum retains its value throughout the recycling process, meaning that it can be kept in circulation longer without becoming waste in our landfills,” he said.
"Additionally, aluminum cans are the world’s most recycled beverage container, boasting a global recycling rate of 69% and recycling yields of more than 98%. The Ball Aluminum Cup has these same advantages, and we’re excited to be able to offer it to consumers as a sustainable alternative.”
Aluminum beverage packaging is the world’s most recycled beverage container and 75% of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today, Siethoff said.
"Still, it is critical to have the proper policy, infrastructure, and education in place to ensure we are fulfilling aluminum cans’, cups’ and bottles’ potential,” he said.
“Many consumers are confused about what and how to recycle not only because recycling policies vary greatly across states and municipalities, but also because some items that we’re told are recyclable aren’t actually being recycled due to their low economic value.”
While they’ve gotten a healthy amount of businesses signed up to participate in the pilot program, Palumbo said there is still time for others to sign up before the program launches.
Interested businesses need to complete a quick application to participate. They can contact Assistant to the City Manager Joe Shearouse at jshearouse01@savannahga.gov. Pilot businesses must be within the go-cup zone, which includes most of the Historic District and Hutchinson Island.
While businesses will be providing feedback to the city, those who opt to take a stroll with the new cups will also be able to provide their opinions by scanning a QR code on the cup, which will take them to an online survey. Users can also access the survey at savannahga.gov/gocuppilot.
Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: KmartSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah City Council members question cost, impacts of aluminum to-go cup program
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