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Korean Palace
Korean Palace was already using as much reusable foodware as they thought possible for their dine-in and banquet customers. As part of a community case study, we like to add one restaurant that makes small changes in their reuse plan, like Korean Palace, that only needed to convert disposable chopsticks and sauce cups. We can see even with small changes there is a large impact.
With the help of our ReThink Disposable Zero Waste Specialists, Korean Palace is eliminating 240 pounds (the weight of a competition winning pumpkin!) from the waste stream, and the business is saving $444 annually that can be reinvested into other upgrades to the space. We can see that they were able to cut their dine-in disposable usage by 19%, now only utilizing single-use for take-out. Korean Palace is now diverting over 10,000 pieces of single-use disposable foodware from the waste stream annually!
With generous support from Silicon Valley Community Foundation, our team has taken ReThink Disposable to San Jose. We teamed up with three restaurants in the San Jose community — Korean Palace, La Enramada, and Thai Chili — to reduce single-use disposable waste by over 381,376 individual pieces and over 5,695 pounds annually. After the conversions to resuable items, this group of restaurants will collectively be saving over $17,000 every year by purchasing fewer disposables — dramatically reducing plastic pollution in their operations, and providing real-time examples of businesses that are both eco-friendly and economical in San Jose.
Business Profile:
Korean Palace is a family-friendly restaurant and banquet hall in San Jose, California. They enjoy hosting events and welcome community to enjoy their delicious Korean cuisine. Their best sellers are the authentic Hot Pot BiBimBap and their delicious seafood pancakes. The restaurant utilizes an Auto-Chlor dishwasher and has been able to seamlessly incorporate their new reusable foodware with their system.
Packaging practices prior to ReThink Disposable:
- Branded disposable chopsticks
- 2 oz. Plastic sauce cups
- 4 oz. Plastic sauce cups
Recommendations Implemented:
- Stainless steel chopsticks
- 2 oz. Stainless steel sauce cups
- 4 oz. Stainless steel sauce cups
Before & After
Document
Business Information:
2297 Stevens Creek Blvd
San Jose, CA 95128
United States
The Bottom Line
Korean Palace switched 19% of their disposable foodware to reusable for their dine-in guests, which corresponds to over 10,000 individual single-use items that are no longer being thrown away every year.
$444
net annual savings
10,235
disposable items reduced per year
240 lbs
annual waste reduction
We’re thrilled to switch to Rethink Disposable’s reusable chopsticks, rests, and sauce cups. The heavy weight and elegant styling feel just like what we use at home. Our only worry? They’re so nice, someone might want to take them! Still, we’re excited to make this change and help reduce the number of trees being cut down.
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.
NJ Finance & Development Associate | Hybrid in Elizabeth, NJ
Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund are seeking a full-time Finance & Development Associate to support our programs, operations, and fundraising efforts in New Jersey. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to meaningful environmental campaigns while ensuring smooth financial and administrative operations. The Finance & Development Associate will work closely with the New Jersey team to manage administrative and financial processes and help coordinate fundraising activities, including events, donor appeals, and grant applications.
Eastern Pennsylvania Director | Hybrid in Philadelphia, PA
Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund are seeking an experienced full-time Eastern Pennsylvania Director to lead our Philadelphia office team on health-related environmental issues in Philadelphia and southeast Pennsylvania. The primary responsibility of this position will be to lead local community-based campaigns, with a focus on environmental justice communities primarily low-income communities of color. We are looking for candidates with the ability to effectively manage a group of dedicated team members, collaborate with community partners on successful community environmental programs, and develop community engagement strategies to mobilize residents to take action.
Ballast Coffee
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.
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.