How far do you go to reduce waste and keep the environment as green as possible?
For one North Texas man, it was a random encounter, a conversation that helped to change his perspective on the environment and led him down a more intentional path towards greenery.
“We produce 400 million tonnes of plastic each year (and 40% of that) comes from packaging in the foodservice industry (such as) bags, straws (and others),” said Brian Dockery, founder and CEO of Lovegreen Company.
Dockery said the appeal of sustainability began after local businesses listened to them talking about the need for straws that can be better functioned and recycled.
“I went home and found a way to source sustainable straws,” he said, adding that he found a solution to use avocados.
Digesting the environmental impact of waste pollution on the environment prompted dockeries to search for other options for compostable, recyclable, reusable foodservice packages. It ultimately promoted a new journey as an entrepreneur.
LoveGreen Company was born with a focus on reducing hazardous waste by supplying environmentally friendly disposable disposable and sustainable food service packages.
Nationally, waste consumption varies, but demand for environmentally friendly food services is growing at a time when plastic pollution issues, including the statewide, are piling up.
In the northern Texas region alone, more than 11 million tonnes of waste were disposed of in landfills in 2021, accounting for almost 30% of the state’s total waste, according to the Texas Environmental Quality Commission (TCEQ).
“So ways to reduce plastic consumption are absolutely important to the problems we have in society,” Dockery added.
Now, the Dockery team believes their efforts could become part of a broader solution to maintaining a greener environment across the state.
“Plastics will (and) deteriorate (and) forever (and) to pitch and do what everyone can to help the environment in the long run.
The mission of LoveGreen Company caught the eye of Dallas-based Big Dill Hospitality.
“We need to do what everyone can do in the future by serving many decisions that will help us keep waste down through business days,” said Mark O’Brien, operations director at Big Dill Hospitality.
Brian said that small changes could have long-term impacts, although this may not be possible for North Texas.
“The misunderstanding is that if I were an individual, what I do isn’t important, and I think it’s absolutely wrong,” Dockery reflected.
“When customers are aware of the issue or are more aware of this, they are likely to be confident about how they live their daily lives,” he continued. “You say, ‘I’m one person. Once you start recycling, it’s no different to start composting, but you do.’
