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Harrington Elementary School, Lexington, MA
Harrington Elementary School, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, enrolls 363 students. It is the second school in the district to transition to reusable trays and cutlery in the cafeteria, after the 2020 construction of a new Hastings Elementary. Harrington was identified as an ideal candidate to renovate the existing kitchen since the location had a broken under-thecounter dishwasher and access to plumbing infrastructure.
The goal became to replace the broken dishwasher with a new hightemperature, ventless, energy-efficient, stand-up model. With support from Lexington’s State Representative Michelle Ciccolo, $25,000 was allocated in the State Budget for the purchase of the dish machine, and a generous grant from the Community Endowment of Lexington for $10,000 funded the purchase of stainless-steel Ahimsa trays, forks, spoons, and additional reuse equipment. The cost of installation, which increased from initial estimates due to electrical and plumbing upgrades, was covered by the district’s School Lunch Revolving Account, totaling $45,000. This investment also streamlined kitchen operations, removing unused equipment, freeing up space, and allowing staff to wash pots and pans in a dish machine, whereas previously they had been hand-washing all serviceware.
Business Profile:
- Name: Harrington Elementary School
- Location: Lexington, MA
- On-site Dining: Yes
- Take-out: No
- Warewashing: Champion Commercial, Dishwasher Model No. DH-6000T-VHR
- Employees: 3 kitchen staff, 1 dishwasher, 2 waste monitors daily (volunteer/staff)
Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:
- Single-use BPI-certified 5-compartment compostable tray
- Single-use BPI-certified compostable fork
- Single-use BPI-certified compostable spoon
Recommendations Implemented:
- Stainless-steel 5-compartment Ahimsa tray
- Stainless-steel Ahimsa fork
- Stainless-steel Ahimsa spoon
Images below: Single-use trays, forks and spoons were replaced with reusable stainless steel serviceware, and a new warewashing machine.
Before & After
Business Information:
Harrington, MA
United States
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is $3,696 in annual net savings, achieved by eliminating 175,500 disposable items and 2 tons of waste per year, adding $1,000 in compost-hauling savings, and recouping reusable foodware costs in just 3.2 months while supporting a new part-time dishwashing position.
$3,696
Total annual net cost savings
175,500
Disposable items reduced per year
2 tons
Annual waste reduction
I am incredibly proud that our school is helping to lead the way in reducing trash and waste. In doing so, we are not only protecting the environment but also saving taxpayer dollars. I am grateful to Clean Water Action for coordinating this initiative, to State Representative Ciccolo for securing funding, and to the Community Endowment of Lexington for providing the new trays and utensils. This work is especially meaningful because our students understand its impact. As members of Harrington’s Sustainability Team shared, ‘We like the new dishwasher because it’s better for the environment since we’re not throwing anything away. This is better for the future because the compostable trays we used before caused pollution when they were produced. Using reusable trays can help slow down global warming.’ Each day at lunch, our students are learning what it means to care for their wider community.
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.
Nicole Estey
Based in western Massachusetts, Nicole brings a strong blend of financial knowledge and a deep commitment to environmental protection to her role, supporting financial and administrative operations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
Gage Frank
Gage brings more than a decade of experience in fundraising, communications, and public-interest work across the nonprofit, government, corporate, and political sectors to Clean Water Action's team.
Shish Grill (Video)
As a result of implementing ReThink Disposable’s recommendations, Shish Grill reduced the use of disposable foodware items targeted for reduction or elimination by an average of 82%, preventing 73,559 disposable foodware items from operations every year. Shish Grill earned an ongoing annual cost savings of $974 and reduced annual waste by 350 pounds!
Business Profile:
Shish Grill is located in San Ramon, California and is owned by Nancy Annan. Shish Grill is a casual Mediterranean / Lebanese restaurant that serves amazing falafel, hummus, chicken shawarma wraps, kabobs and gyros. Much of their business is made up of business people who are seeking out a good lunch. They also have a strong catering presence in the area.
Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:
- Dine-in customers served on a mix of reusable and disposable foodware like a reusable plate with reusable utensils, but disposable side sauce cups for items like hummus
- Disposable Styrofoam cups offered for water and soda with lids and straws at a self-serve station
- Bulk condiments available at each table
- To-go orders placed in Styrofoam or plastic clamshells and bags with items like disposable utensils at a self-serve station
- Customers bussed their own tables and placed the reusable items in a bus tub above the garbage can
Recommendations Implemented:
- Replaced Styrofoam cups and plastic lids with reusable cups for water and soda
- Reusable sauce cups used in place of disposable ones
- Made wrapped straws and disposable to-go items by request only
- Signs were installed to remind customers to not throw away the sauce cups and utensils
Styrofoam cups for water were eliminated. Plastic sauce cups, soda and water cup lids, and wrapped straws were drastically reduced by implementing a reusable sauce cup and beverage cup for customers who dine onsite. A sign was placed on the trash can to remind customers to return their reusables for washing into the bus tubs. Nancy Annan spent $79.84 to purchase 36 reusable plastic cups and 60 reusable sauce cups to implement the recommended best management practices.
Before & After
Document
Business Information:
1061 Market Pl. A1
San Ramon, CA 94583
United States
The Bottom Line
$974
in annual savings
350 pounds
of waste reduced annually
73,559
disposable items reduced per year
First of all, your dishes are going to look a lot better, more presentable and more on the upscale side. And you’re going to save a lot of money. No one hates to do that. You work hard for your money, so saving will go a long way. Third of all, I mean, you’re going green, help the environment as well.
Video URL
Video file
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.
Ian Louda
Ian is a passionate environmental advocate who joined Clean Water as a Field Canvasser in the summer of 2016. He went on to direct the Philadelphia Field Canvass for seven years from 2018-2024 and served as the organization’s Lead Network Canvass Director beginning in 2022. Ian now has a multifaceted role. As Canvass Supervisor, he leads national canvass recruitment and other canvass-related projects. As Legislative Coordinator, he conducts outreach to elected officials in Southeastern PA and assists with Clean Water Action endorsements in state and local races. He also works on membership
