ReThink Disposable Publications

Clean Water Fund surveyed Alameda County, CA restaurants that had previously adopted reusable options through the ReThink Disposable source reduction process. Core values around sustainability remain strong, however there is a clear need to educate both food operators and the public that reusables are just as safe as disposables .

With a grant from the California Ocean Protection Council, ReThink Disposable partnered with the City of Alameda to create a model for “unpackaging a city.”

The focus of this literature review and inventory is environmental impacts relating to greenhouse gas emissions from extraction, manufacturing, distribution, consumption, and end-of-life management of disposable and reusable foodservice products.

This report investigates the issue of chemicals in food packaging and their impact on the safety of what American consumers eat and drink.

Surveys were conducted with 95 café owners and 461 customers across San Francisco that sell to-go beverages in disposable cups. The goal of the survey was to determine what current practices and behaviors businesses utilize to incentivize BYO behavior, current consumer habits and reasons, and opinions on future options.