Explore Edmonton tests reusable dishware at basketball event

Explore Edmonton is testing a partnership with a reusable-dishware provider to further reduce waste at events. Toronto's Muuse is providing reusable plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery for the two-day Sari Sari Mercado at the Edmonton EXPO Centre grounds on June 13 and 14. Muuse will then wash and sanitize the dishware before using it again at its future events, said Explore Edmonton's Ziyah Karmali. "This pilot will also allow us to learn what it might take to implement such an initiative on a larger scale," she told Taproot.

The outdoor market is in conjunction with two basketball events. The Edmonton Stingers face the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Filipino Heritage Night on June 13, and the Canadian tour of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons makes a local stop on June 14. The events run from noon to 7pm both days, leaving just enough time to take your seat before tip-off. The market features vendors, performers, and food, of course, from the likes of Flipside BBQ, 6 A's and J Food Truck, Takopo. Gentea Café's food truck, Chonky Crumbs, and The Little Miss Mocha.

Muuse will provide reusable cups in a World Cup fan zone in Toronto, and a successful pilot during a series of Coldplay concerts earned it a partnership for almost 100 concerts there as well. Reusables work best in such a closed environment, Scott Morrison of Muuse Canada told Be Giant. "It's designed in a way where it's obvious that you return the items, and it's awkward if you don't," he said. Improving sustainability is important to Explore Edmonton, which has installed Canada's largest rooftop solar array at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. The array can carry 4,400 megawatts across its 9,020 panels, and has generated 970 megawatt hours this year, including 25 on one day in May. Waste-wise, EXPO diverted 79% of 1.1 million kilograms from the landfill in 2025, Karmali said.