April is Earth Month and we wanted to share just a few of the initiatives that Summerhill Market has been working on to help make an environmental impact.
Green Packaging
We have changed a lot of our packaging to reduce our carbon footprint and are excited to announce that we will be completely foam free as of June 2022! Our Salad containers are made from recycled bottled and thermoforms making them 100% recyclable. Our Prepared Foods containers are made from 100% aluminum, which makes them 100% recyclable. We also have silicone lids to seal your prepared foods if you need to reheat them for leftovers.
Take It Home
Our reusable neighborhood canvas totes are large enough to fit almost all of your grocery needs. These reusable totes are FREE with a purchase of $125 until May 4th. We are transferring over to 100% natural produce bags and grocery bags. These bags are BPI compostable and designed to fully biodegrade in specific biologically active environments.
Waste Heat Recovery Operation
We use a Custom Designed Commercial Refrigeration Heat Recovery System at two of our locations. This recovers the waste heat produced by the Walk-in Cooler & Freezers and is used for domestic hot water for cleaning, hand washing, food production as well as heating the floors in various areas of the facility.
Our Railside facility utilizes Heat Recovery Ventilators to provide fresh air requirements for the staff in the most efficient way possible. This balanced ventilation solution removes excess moisture, odors, and contaminants while conserving energy and enhancing comfort.
Food Waste Initiatives
Food waste is one of the largest contributors to global warming. In 2021, we partnered with Too Good To Go, a food saving app which helps to reduce food waste.
We list our daily surplus food on the Too Good To Go app as a Surprise Bag and a customer picks it up. You can find more on the movement HERE. Our Annex Location donates leftover food items to Lighthouse who help people in need.
Any items that do not end up in our stores from the Warehouse are donated to
Our Forest Hill Location donates to Seeds of Hope who help to build self sustaining communities that enable individuals to develop their livelihood and creativity.
Here are 3 tips you can do at home to help create an environmental impact.
1. Pick Up Litter
Unfortunately, there is litter everywhere. You’re likely to walk by some litter no matter where you go. For Earth Month, try walking around with some waste bags that you can throw the litter in whenever you see any.
2. Compost Your Kitchen Scraps
Check to see if your building or community has a compost initiative set up. Instead of food scraps ending up in a landfill and releasing a bunch of greenhouse gasses, they’ll be turned into a rich fertilizer that can be used for plants.
3. Reuse As Much As You Can
Swap plastic bags with canvas bags, and plastic straws with metal or bamboo straws. You can even carry a reusable cup with you to your favorite coffee shops and ask them to fill that up instead of one of their disposable cups.
