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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.
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.
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.
