'Collect it, sanitize it, reuse it': Southwestern Ontario women land on Forbes list for environmentally friendly company
A pair of young entrepreneurs from southwestern Ontario is changing the world one reusable container at a time.
At a small facility in Guelph, Kayli Dale of St. Thomas, Ont., and Jacquie Hutchings of Woodslee, Ont., are helping businesses transition from single-use plastics to reusable options.
“Our system is kind of like the Beer Store model where users can get money back for returning their packaging,” said Dale, who met her business partner while they were engineering students at the University of Waterloo.
She added, “We collect it all, sanitize it, and then resell it into the market so products can be used hundreds of times rather than being thrown in landfill.”
Upon purchase of a meal, customers pay a small deposit. When finished they scan a QR code using the Friendlier app, and return the container to a collection bin. Deposit returns accumulate and you can then request a payout.
"Friendlier" is a company which collects, sanitizes, and reuses take out containers to help prevent them from going into the landfill (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
The pair spent four months in Sweden, and with the dream of bringing sustainable products to North America, they formed “Friendlier.”
“When we first started we didn't have much, [so] we funded it ourselves,” said Hutchings of the company which has been in business for two years. “We would bike around from business to business collecting containers and giving new ones. Very quickly we saw that businesses want this, and businesses need a reusable solution.”
With businesses abiding by the new single use plastic ban, and consumers becoming more tired of waste, they've grown daily. They have over 200 partners across the province, and are washing up to 3,000 containers a day.
“We're on track to hit 400,000 by the end of the year,” said Hutchings. “We just continue to grow. So now we're seeing about 50,000 coming back every single month.”
Kayli Dale (L) and Jacquie Hutchings at the Forbes 30-Under-30 event in New York City in Dec. 2022 (Source: Jacquie Hutchings)
Their recent success has been recognized worldwide. The duo was named in the social category of the Forbes “30 Under 30” list, and this past weekend attended the event in New York City.
“They talked about the impact that we've already been able to create,” said Dale. “We've already diverted 350,000 containers from landfill. So I think a lot of it had to do, the impact, where we're going and all the impacts we'll be able to generate in the future.”
At the event, the pair was among some incredible entrepreneurs from all over North America.
“Kayli and I have always been big dreamers,” said Hutchings. “We always knew that it would be possible, but to come in and actually see ourselves surrounded by these incredible people in the Forbes building on Fifth Avenue was amazing.”
Jacquie Hutchings (L) of Woodslee, Ont. and Kayli Dale of St. Thomas, Ont. formed the environmentally friendly company "Friendlier." (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
Friendlier now has a second location in Ottawa with a goal of growing the company worldwide.
“We dream of a world where there is no single- use waste,” said Hutchings.
With the ban on the production of new single-use plastics, and their determination, the two are on the way to helping change the way businesses and consumers feel about the environment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.