Cedar Lake Triathlon Series, Chester, CT

The Valley Shore YMCA holds the Cedar Lake Triathlon series each summer in Chester, Connecticut. At each event in the series, the YMCA provided plastic bottled water and disposable cups. ReThink Disposable helped them make the switch to reusable silicone water bottles and reusable cups instead! Our New England Zero Waste Organizer collected the used bottles and cups for sanitization and reuse at the following events - making 3 of the 5 events in the 2024 series zero-waste! Overall, 600 disposable plastic items were kept out of the trash.

Read The Full Case Study Here (PDF)

ReThink Disposable is a program of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund conducted in partnership with local organizations, businesses, and government agencies. Generous support is provided by a changing list of public and private funders. To learn more about the program, its partners, and funders, visit: www.rethinkdisposable.org.

Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:

Single-use disposable paper cup
Plastic bottled water

Recommendations Implemented:

Reusable durable plastic cup
Reusable silicone water bottle

Before & After

image of Coolers-of-Reusable-Silicone-Water-Bottles

ReThink-Disposable-Case-Cedar-Lake-Triathlon.pdf (1.37 MB)

Business Information:

Cedar Lake
Chester, CT 06412
United States

Website

The Bottom Line

100% savings

eliminating the purchasing of all disposable cups and bottles

600

disposable items reduced during the three zero-waste events

Rethink Disposable’s innovative bottles and process seamlessly provide our triathletes with hydration on the go while eliminating the wasteful paper cups originally provided. Our participants were extremely impressed with the functionality and simplistic process, all while providing them with the peace of mind of being environmentally conscious.

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Josh MacNive Health & Wellness Director Valley Shore YMCA

ReThink Disposable - Stop waste before it starts

Reducing Single-Use Food Packaging

ReThink Disposable works with local governments, businesses and institutions, and consumers of single use food packaging to inspire a cultural shift away from single-use "throwaway" lifestyle.

Learn More

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