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The Warfield, San Francisco
The Warfield, originally built in the 1920s, was a vaudeville and movie palace and became a 2,250-person capacity concert hall in 1979 when Bill Graham Presents booked a run of shows with Bob Dylan. The Warfield made the switch from single-use plastic and paper cups to exclusively using reusable r.Cups, available in various sizes (5, 9, 12, 16, and 24-ounce sizes).
Business Profile:
During a 6-month service period with r.Cup, spanning from May to October, The Warfield incurred a cost of $25,800 for r.Cup services. To offset this cost, The Warfield implemented a 3 percent sustainability fee for each drink sold in an r.Cup, resulting in revenue of more than $30,000 since the launch of r.Cup in May 2023. This revenue has the potential to turn r.Cup into a profit center for any venue.
Taking into account r.Cup services, income from the sustainability fee, and elimination of purchasing single-use disposable cups, The Warfield anticipates annual net-earnings of more than $33,000 that will go towards sustaining the reusable cup service into the future.
Read more about The Warfield in San Francisco Music Venues Raise the Bar for Sustainability: Case study on a reusable cup pilot at three San Francisco venues.
Before & After
Document
Business Information:
982 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States
The Bottom Line
204,800
Single-Use Cups Eliminated Annually
93%
Return Rate
12,700
Pounds Of Refuse Diverted Annually
Things have gone wonderfully and we can’t be happier to be part of the initiative.
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.
Emily Plunkett
Emily first joined Clean Water Action in 2023 as the Office Manager in Ann Arbor, MI then moved to the National Communications team in 2024. Before Clean Water, she received her Master's degree in chemistry with a focus on analytical methods and materials science research. Emily has also volunteered with the Virginia Scientist-Community Interface, co-authoring academic papers, public comments, and technical white papers. Emily has a passion for native plants and sci-fi/fantasy media, and an even stronger passion for her cat, Sharkey.
Emma Weis
Emma joined Clean Water Action in fall 2023 and stepped into the role of Climate Justice Organizer in the Boston office in winter 2024. In this role, she focuses on advancing equitable climate solutions that prioritize frontline communities.
Omesa Mokaya
Omesa leads youth organizing efforts as the Youth Engagement Program Manager at Clean Water Action, where he empowers young leaders and changemakers across Massachusetts to tackle environmental injustices in their own communities.
Ballast Coffee, San Francisco
Café owner Paolo Araneta, every bit as bold as the Barako coffee he serves in San Francisco, deployed a new reusable jar system for Ballast’s daily grab-and-go treats and eliminated single-use disposable containers. Jar deposits are refunded upon return of the jar, or can be applied to the next purchase. After two months of implementation, staff reported a return rate of 75% and didn’t need to restock their jar supply.
Business Profile:
Nestled in San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood, Ballast Coffee is known to be the only café serving Barako coffee in the city of San Francisco. Grown only in the Philippines and small parts of Malaysia and Vietnam, coffee beans are shipped green to the café and are roasted locally.
Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:
- Three sizes of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic containers for grab-and-go snacks (24-ounce for salads, 16-ounce for overnight oats, and 9-ounce for chia pudding and yogurt cups)
- Single-use forks, spoons, and knives
Recommendations Implemented:
- Replaced three varieties of PLA containers with returnable wide-mouth glass canning jars with lids (32-ounce, 16-ounce, and 8-ounce)
- Replaced single-use utensils with stainless steel flatware
- Placed signage next to napkins encouraging customers to “take only what they need”
Before & After
Document
Business Information:
329 W Portal Ave
San Francisco, CA 94127
United States
The Bottom Line
$1,263
Annual cost savings
12,369 pieces
Of single-use packaging eliminated
245 pounds
Of waste prevented
Reusables [are] the only way small businesses like Ballast should move forward. We all need to do our part in contributing to a sustainable future. Small things add up fast. If we all do our part, what a difference we all can make.
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.
