'Collect it, sanitize it, reuse it': Southwestern Ontario women land on Forbes list for environmentally friendly company
'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.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Interim RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme says he would support the Criminal Code changes recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission report to implement stricter gun laws.
When police arrived to a collision on Degge Street, they said they spoke to the driver at fault for the crash and believed him to be driving while impaired by alcohol.
Tourism Barrie brought a report from a consulting firm to council, recommending upgrades to the arena, including additional seats, modern concessions, and an open grand entrance on the building's north side. The proposed renovations would cost approximately $40 million but could bring significant economic benefits to the city.
Sigfrid Stahn walked out of the Barrie courthouse Friday a remorseful man one day after a jury found him guilty of impaired driving, causing a collision on Highway 12 in July 2020 that killed a 77-year-old Midland man.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
The leader of Ontario's new democrats says she's removed long-time party member Michael Mantha from caucus amid an independent investigation into alleged workplace misconduct.
In one day, Ontario midwife Manavi Handa saw three patients who will have to pay thousands of dollars to be able to schedule a C-section beginning on Sunday.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
April Fools' Day -- better known as poisson d'Avril in Quebec -- is upon us. Some of the province's familiar faces got into the spirit Saturday with a few light-hearted social media pranks.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta announced Saturday that Rajan Sawhney will run as a UCP candidate for Calgary North-West after announcing in February that she wouldn't be running for re-election in Calgary North-East.
Officials in Vancouver said they plan to meet with the artist and volunteers who are keeping vigil on a children's shoe memorial on the steps of the city's art gallery in an effort to end the tribute to children who didn't return from residential schools.
"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)
Kayli Dale (L) and Jacquie Hutchings at the Forbes 30-Under-30 event in New York City in Dec. 2022 (Source: Jacquie Hutchings)
Jacquie Hutchings (L) of Woodslee, Ont. and Kayli Dale of St. Thomas, Ont. formed the environmentally friendly company "Friendlier." (Brent Lale/CTV News London)
