If you hung out Downtown this summer, chances are you’ve heard of—or indulged in—DORA, a new program that allows patrons (21 years or older) to have to-go cocktails, wine, and beer within the confines of a ‘Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area’.
As the outdoor strolling season is nearing its end, it’s safe to say that DORA’s been a huge success already. It’s given folks another outlet for outdoor leisure, stimulated support for all your favorite participating restaurants and bars, and thanks to a partnership with Brightmark, it’s even Reimagining Waste, reducing our community’s carbon footprint.
Not familiar with Brightmark? Brightmark is a circular innovation company that’s Reimagining Waste with their proprietary plastics renewal technologies. With their revolutionary technology, they’re able to repurpose co-mingled, landfill-bound plastics. And one of their circularity centers is located nearby in Ashley, IN—making them the perfect waste management partner for DORA’s disposable, to-go cups.
If we all do our part, that means that every single-use plastic DORA cup can get a new lease on life as a totally new product, while avoiding the landfill, incinerators, or our waterways. There’s an emphasis on “if we all do our part.” That’s because, when improperly disposed of, Brightmark isn’t able to work their renewal magic on all the DORA cups we produce (and given DORA’s popularity, that’s a lot of cups).
So with DORA, it’s not only important to drink responsibly, but it’s also important to recycle responsibly. Luckily, it’s an easy lift. To properly recycle your DORA cups, there are two simple steps:
1. Throw your DORA cup away in a designated Brightmark bin
There’re designated recycling bins for DORA cups throughout DORA’s boundaries. Just look for the recycling bins with Brightmark’s logo on it!
2. Don’t throw trash into the Brightmark recycling bins
If waste gets contaminated before reaching Brightmark’s circularity center, it can’t be salvaged. So it’s important to not throw anything other than DORA cups into the bins.
That’s all there is to it!
So next time you’re out with friends and enjoying DORA, be mindful of how and where you dispose of your cup. If you see someone throwing trash in the bin, consider kindly informing them about the purpose of the bin. If someone throws their cup in the trash, educate them on the Brightmark partnership. The saying, “it takes a village” applies in almost every scenario, and this one is no exception. Together, we can keep our community clean and our carbon footprint lower—thanks to the ingenuity of the good folks at Brightmark.
Molly Conner is a Fort Wayne native and freelance writer. Having lived in Downtown Fort Wayne throughout her twenties, she loves watching her stomping grounds grow. With her love of storytelling and community in tow, she’s eager to tell Downtown Fort Wayne’s story piece-by-piece—exploring the people, spaces, and organizations that make it thrive.