ReThink Disposable has created a video promoting our work to convert local restaurants and venues to reusable foodware
Oakland, CA -- Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program has worked in partnership with Alameda County StopWaste program for several years to reduce plastic foodware waste in local restaurants and venues. Over the last year the team has worked on a video promoting this work, which has reduced thousands of pounds of single use disposable foodware, all while saving money for the businesses involved.
ReThink Disposable teamed up with StopWaste, the City of Fremont, and Ocean Foundation on our shared goals of improving local neighborhoods that have been on the front lines of negative environmental impacts, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from plastic production, and keeping plastics out of our landfills in mind.
ReThink Disposable provided direct assistance to Gurdwara Temple, Julie’s Coffee & Tea, and Freight & Salvage to convert their foodware to reusables. “Switching to reusables just aligns with who we want to be and what we want to put out into the world,” says Shannon Marsden, owner of Julie’s Coffee & Tea Garden. “Our customers appreciate that they don’t contribute to waste when they buy their coffee here.”
“The shift over to a sustainable mindset has been really amazing, especially with the help of agencies and programs like StopWaste and ReThink Disposable,” says Clayton Shelvin, Managing Director of Freight & Salvage. “And the people who come in to use our space have been excited about this change as well. Everyone wants to do their part.”
ReThink Disposable also did a deep dive case study into Gurdwara Temple’s conversion and found they are diverting over 600,000 individual foodware items - nearly 9,000 pounds - annually, saving over $45,000.
“Part of our mantra and core principles is to reduce our environmental impact,” says Taran Singh, representative of the Gurdwara Sahib of Fremont. “As a Sikh house of worship, we give back to the environment rather than just create more waste. We have reached our goal of 100% reusable foodware, and ReThink Disposable was a key partner in achieving this goal. We are now working to get other houses of worship to adopt these best practices.”
"We applaud the businesses and venues featured in the video for modeling solutions to the scourge of single-use foodware," says Justin Lehrer, operations manager at StopWaste. “These successful projects contribute to growing momentum as we work to build infrastructure for reusable foodware throughout Alameda County.”
“ReThink’s goal is to stop trash before it starts and our focus is on small businesses and institutions that are part of the community. We are proud of this collaborative effort and look forward to continuing our work to help make Alameda County a plastic free community,” says Julie Wedge, California ReThink Disposable Program Director.
The benefits of these changes have been felt throughout the county. ReThink Disposable is excited to launch this video and highlight the success of these three organizations in reducing toxic plastic foodware waste.
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About Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable Program
ReThink Disposable focuses on reducing single-use plastics and advocating for sustainable alternatives in the food service industry. Through strategic partnerships and community engagement, Rethink Disposable promotes practical, reuse-focused solutions that benefit both the environment and society. For more information, visit ReThinkDisposable.org