Savannah/Chatham County, Georgia

We’d love to hear from you!

Please consider taking our virtual interactive survey, where you can learn about reuse, imagine how it would work for Savannah, and provide input to design a system that works for everyone in our community.

The virtual workshop is currently available only in English but will soon be available in Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese.

Savannah at a Glance

Savannah is known as America's first planned city, and its parks, tree-lined boulevards, and historic buildings still enchant locals and visitors alike today. Known for its culture of hospitality, Savannah draws visitors from near and far for its food, culture, nightlife, and unique experiences such as the Savannah Bananas. Savannah is the county seat for Chatham County, which also includes other notable destinations such as Tybee Island and picturesque Thunderbolt. Situated on the northern Georgia coast, Chatham County is bordered by the Savannah River and the Ogeechee River and includes multiple barrier islands where marine debris accumulates and is regularly removed by community members.

Population: 147,000

Food Service Establishments: 600+

Educational Institutions: : Georgia Southern University-Armstrong Campus, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Savannah State University, South University, and the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools

Local Water Bodies: Atlantic Ocean, Savannah River and located adjacent to Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary

Other Commitments: City Council passed resolution to phase out single use plastics including plastic cups, utensils, and EPS takeout containers in all City buildings. (2021)

Local Partners

  • Tonya Bonitatibus

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & RIVERKEEPER

    Savannah Riverkeeper

  • Cloe Lemaire

    REUSE SYSTEM LOCAL PROJECT MANAGER

    Savannah Riverkeeper

Savannah Riverkeeper

Founded in 2001, Savannah Riverkeeper is the leading guardian for the Savannah River, actively restoring and protecting the entire basin through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Responsible for over 300 miles of river from North Carolina to the city of Savannah we are dedicated to ensuring a drinkable, swimmable, and fishable river. We are part of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a movement of more than 290 organizations worldwide who fight for drinkable, swimmable, and fishable waterways. Our unique brand of grassroots citizen advocacy allows us to advocate for the health and viability of the entire watershed.

Concentrating on ensuring a healthy river, we are enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate and wrap around the problems that plague our own communities. By Utilizing the reusable foodware system with water goat trash traps to filter debris from entering the river, our passion to restore the water quality and protect our natural resources. Litter is one of the biggest pollutants in urban waters today. We are excited to be taking a holistic approach to combating plastic pollution by partnering with Perpetual and having a team of staff regularly maintaining 8 trash traps located throughout Savannah.

Community-Driven Design Process

Savannah Riverkeeper, with support from Perpetual, will be facilitating a Community-Driven Design Process to give Savannah community members the opportunity to shape the reusable foodware system. Two in-person community workshops were held February 28 and March 1, 2025 to provide an overview of how reusable foodware systems work and solicit feedback from participants on several design elements, including revenue model, reusable item selection, front-end and back-end technology, return incentives, bin design and management, collection locations, and washing. 

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In Person Community Led Workshops

During the last week of February 2025, Perpetual, alongside Savannah Riverkeeper and volunteers from the Choose Reuse Chatham Coalition, met with more than 125 participants in Savannah to gather feedback on the design of a new reusable foodware system for Savannah. Feedback was gathered through interactive workshops that were advertised broadly throughout the Savannah community and the workshops were open to the general public. Participants included community members, families, tourists, and college students. The workshops were hosted at two different locations, a local community center and marine education center, in order to solicit feedback from a mixture of locals and tourists. This strategy was prioritized in Savannah due to the heavy influence of tourism. 


Savannah Reusable Foodware System Design - Coming soon!

The System Design document is being drafted based on the engagement with the community, and partners. Following the final draft, the project will enter a public review period which will feature community listening sessions to solicit feedback on the system design. This document will specify how the system will work and what is needed for it to operate.

This reuse system will be operated by a Reuse Service Provider that has not yet been selected. Perpetual, Savannah Riverkeeper, and Chatham County will work with the selected provider up to and beyond system launch to ensure the program is successful.