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San Carlos Youth Center (Video)
With ReThink Disposable’s support, food created during the San Carlos Youth Center's cooking class program is no longer served on paper plates, bowls, and napkins. Now kids enjoy a non-disposable option with “camp-style” metal enamel foodware and stainless steel utensils. Imparting cooking skills to young people is a rich life lesson. Now, the youth center imparts an even bigger life lesson about the connection between healthy food, healthy bodies/minds, and a healthy planet.
Business Profile:
The San Carlos Youth Center is a free, supervised after-school program featuring a full-size gym, game room, homework assistance and staff-led activities. A popular daily cooking class is enjoyed by an upwards of 130 kids each day between the ages of 8 and 17 years.
San Carlos Youth Center has a big impact on how young people think about food service. Because the Youth Center is an after-school service provider, they are uniquely positioned to impact the future actions and attitudes of the young people they work with. By providing a safe and fun after-school space,
the youth center can influence the decision-making and purchasing decisions of impressionable young people.
After an initial investment of $984 in durable, non-plastic, PFAS-free foodware, San Carlos Youth Center prevents 18,898 pieces of single-use items each year, weighing 214 pounds, and saves $719 in annual net cost savings.
The reusable foodware expense and payback period are both above average when compared to other ReThink Disposable participants. However, because children are involved avoiding toxins that are found in most foodware (i.e. plastic, linings) is the top priority (and - goes without saying - worth the investment!).
Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:
- All foods served on paper plates and bowls
- Single-use plastic forks, knives, and spoons
- Lined paper popcorn bags and napkins for snacks
Recommendations Implemented:
- Durable plates to replace single-use paper plates
- Stainless steel forks, knives, and spoons to replace plastic utensils
- Bus tubs and cart to transport foodware
- PlateScrape to replace pre-wash step of used dishes
Before & After
Document
CS_San_Carlos Youth Center_09.23.20a.pdf
(744.41 KB)
Business Information:
1001 Chestnut St
San Carlos, CA
United States
The Bottom Line
$719
annual net cost savings
18,898 pieces
of disposable items reduced
214 lbs
of waste prevented
Working with ReThink Disposable was such a great experience! With their help, our Youth Center staff were not only educated but provided the resources to eliminate single-use disposable foodware and significantly reduce our daily waste. Thanks to ReThink Disposable we will be getting our after school participants into the habit of doing all we can to reduce our impact on the planet.
Video URL
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.
Jennifer Kunze
Jennifer is a lifelong Maryland resident who grew up next to the Catoctin Mountains in Frederick, graduated from St. Mary's College of Maryland on the beautiful St. Mary's River, and now lives in Baltimore City. Before joining Clean Water Action in 2016, Jennifer worked as the Environmental Programs Organizer at the Center for Grace-Full Living in East Baltimore, where she coordinated community gardens, taught environmental education, and organized rain garden and other stormwater remediation projects. Jennifer has also been active in a wide variety of environmental and human rights campaigns
Cindy Luppi
Cindy has worked with Clean Water Action since 1994, helping to coordinate a number of coalitions and community-based efforts to reduce pollution and promote an equitable, sustainable economy. She supervises and supports Clean Water's state campaigns in New England and across the country.
Elizabeth Saunders
Elizabeth joined Clean Water Action in 2001 ,and now serves as Clean Water's National Donor Development Manager while still supporting Massachusetts in a Senior Advisor role. Elizabeth knows that the greatest strentgh of Clean Water Action is our people—the members, donors, volunteers, and neighborhood activists who form our grassroots base.