The explosion of takeout food brought on by the pandemic with its throwaway plastic and Styrofoam isn’t good for the environment.

Now a Haverford College senior and a recent graduate have created a startup, a reusable takeout food box and service to reduce all that trash, writes Max Bennett for patch.com.

Bentbox was developed by Haverford College senior Margaret Chen and recent graduate Sara Matsumura.

Initially customers would bring reusable takeout boxes to restaurants where leftovers would be packed.

Now the bentbox model calls for restaurants to provide the reusable boxes to customers for takeout orders.

Restaurants that opt in would receive 30 to 40 boxes for customer takeout.

When the customer is finished, the box is dropped off at a designated receptacle, collected and sanitized at Haverford College’s Dining Services industrial washing facility before it’s handed out again for reuse.

Customers receive reward points for depositing a bentbox in a receptacle which can be used for future discounts.  The option adds a $2 service fee on food orders.

“The reward system incentivizes bringing containers back,” Matsumura told Patch.

Two local restaurants plan to install bentbox drop off receptacles in Ardmore and at Haverford College.

Read more about this environmental innovation here.

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