SUSTAINABILITY

 HOW TO RECYCLE + REUSE OUR PACKAGING

PLASTIC TUBS

  Do we get a kick out of using plastic tubs for our products? Hell no. But startup companies - especially ones doing unique products - are limited when it comes to options right now. If you know of a company that can provide us with eco-friendly, wet food-safe alternatives (with relatively small minimum order requirements) please let us know at ground.control@groundedfoods.com 

What are the tubs made of?

Polypropylene, a No. 5 recyclable plastic. 

What do I do with them?

Reuse:

  • KITCHEN EDIT. Wash your tubs and use them to store pantry items like spices and nuts. They stack nicely and keep shelves tidy; just label the contents with a bit of tape and a Sharpie.
  • Use them to store your drugs and trinkets.

Recycle:

  • Check what your curbside recycling authority will accept. Here in Los Angeles, No. 5 recyclables are accepted curbside. But city recycling programs differ throughout the country.
  • Be sure to clean the tubs first. Food residue is a major buzzkill for recycling facilities. Like, anything that’s coated in food, grease, or oil will probably be rejected, and dumped along with the general wastes.

POUCHES

 


What it’s made of: 

Recyclable No. 4 LDPE plastic. 

What do I do with them?

Reuse:

  • Wash the pouch and refill it with wine or bourbon. It is now a flask. This makes an excellent low key travel companion for family camping trips, long hikes and church picnics.
  • Wash them, fill them with air and use them as insulation to pack fragile items.

Recycle: 

Rinse with hot water and recycle. Check if your local curbside recycling program accepts Number 4 plastics first. If they don’t, major recycling outlets will.

ICE PACKS 

All orders are shipped with 1-2 Nordic Ice reusable ice packs. This keeps your cheese chilled as it traverses the country en route to your fridge.

What are they made of?

The ice packs contain a freezable, non-toxic gel. The outer film is made of low density, recyclable polyethylene plastic (Number 4).

What do I do with them?

Reuse:  

  • Pop a few frozen ice packs in the car on your next grocery run, and use them to keep things chilled on the journey home. 
  • Add them to a cooler bag and keep on-the-go lunches chilled, or beers frosty.
  • Donate them to a local organization that prepares and moves food, such as a food bank.
  • Apply chilled packs to sprains, muscle strains and sexual-related injuries.
  • Prefer to upcycle? Ice packs can make a great cushion for storing fragile things like ceramic, jewelry, or your emotions. Crinkle them around and make some good ASMR content. Go crazy.    

Recycle:

If your curbside recycling doesn’t accept number 4 plastic, most major retailers do. Just slit the pouch open, empty the gel into your trash bin, rinse, and recycle. 

CARDBOARD BOXES 


Online orders are shipped in recyclable cardboard boxes that shield the products from wolves.

What are they made of?

100% post industrial recyclable cardboard.

What do I do with them?

Reuse:

  • To pack up your desk after dramatically announcing to your open plan office that you quit.
  • Fold them up, store them in the garage and use them next time you (or someone you know) moves house. Trust us. There are never enough cardboard boxes when you’re moving, and they’re really not something you should have to buy brand new.

Recycle:

Our cardboard shipping boxes are curbside recyclable. Just break them down flat first.

CORR-COOL PAPER INSULATOR

 

Depending on your location, some orders will be shipped with a paper-based liner that protects and insulates the products. It’s a nice alternative to layers of obnoxious bubble wrap.

What is it made of?

The liner is 95% post-industrial paper and cardboard. The other 5% is...also made of paper. 

What do I do with it?

Reuse:

  • This soft, padded lining material can be used to protect delicate objects in storage or travel.
  • Keep it to make your own DIY cooler for picnics, road trips, sporting events or to keep beside the couch when you’re too lazy to get up and go to the fridge. Throw a couple of those ice packs in there as well and you’re set.

Recycle:

This is curbside recyclable along with other paper and cardboard materials.

RENEWLINER RECYCLED INSULATION

 

Depending on your location, some orders will be shipped with RenewLiner. This insulated material helps to keep your cheeses cool, like a mini-fridge. It’s used so that we never have to witness styrofoam again.

What is it made of?

PET plastic sourced from 100% recycled plastic water bottles. It’s been recognized by the Cold Chain Global Forum as one of the most sustainable, temperature-controlled packaging materials available. Which is basically like winning an Oscar for cold chain logistics.

It is designed to be free of adhesives, PVC, and other nasty stuff that can muck up the recycling process.  

What do I do with it?

Reuse:

  • This soft, padded lining material can be used to protect delicate objects in storage or travel.
  • Keep it to make your own DIY cooler for picnics, road trips, sporting events or to keep beside the couch when you’re too lazy to get up and go to the fridge. Throw a couple of those ice packs in there as well and you’re set.

Recycle:

RenewLiner is Number 1 plastic recyclable; it can be picked up through your local curbside recycling program.

INGREDIENTS

Upcycled Food Association

Our products are manufactured in California from locally-sourced ingredients. 

We LOVE hemp because it's not only delicious in cheese, but also one of the most environmentally-resilient crops on the planet.

  • It requires minimal (if any) pesticides to grow, because it's naturally pest resistant.
  • It uses up to 75% less water and 95% less land resources than nut production.
  • Hemp sucks up CO2 like a superhero, effectively removing it from the atmosphere. The plant literally pulls carbon from the air and traps it in a process called carbon sequestration.

Our cauliflower is IMPERFECT, because it's what's inside that counts. We leave those glossy GMO-enhanced veggies for celebrity Instagram feeds. Ours comes from stems, leaves and ugly bits that can't be sold in stores.

Grounded is a proud member of the Upcycled Food Association.