The Chamber of Commerce hosted a Zoom meeting on Monday with Alison Rogers, founder of Usefull. Usefull provides reusable to-go cups and bowls to restaurants, and is launching a pilot program on Block Island, March 14, at The Cracked Mug.The cups and bowls are made of stainless steel and are used by patrons and then returned to be cleaned and reused. Rogers said the company aims to eliminate single-use packaging and plastic.Founded in 2018, Usefull’s mission “is to reduce waste and revolutionize consumption by providing safe, sustainable, and convenient alternatives to everyday single-use products.”Rogers told the group assembled at the Chamber of Commerce and on Zoom that even though Usefull’s containers are reusable, they are priced as if they were single-use. The 16-ounce cups cost the participating restaurants 10 cents apiece, and the 40-ounce bowls are 25 cents apiece.She compared the program to a library’s process, with the customers “checking out” their containers and then returning them after use. The containers can be returned to any location participating in the program, regardless of which restaurant the container came from. Rogers said the Block Island Conservancy would help with the pilot program to sort the containers and get them
