As we wrap up the harvest season and head into winter, ReThink Disposable celebrates our successful California collaboration with the City of Mountain View, the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, and r.World to convert the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival to reusable cups! Over the 2-day festival, we diverted over 5,500 single use cups and eliminated nearly 300 pounds of CO2 from our air.
Mountain View's ordinance forbidding the sale of disposable and PFAS-containing foodware went into effect January 1, 2023, and required all city-funded festivals to comply. This meant we had to act quickly. This festival is not traditionally set up to accommodate reusables as there is no single entry and exit point, making it difficult to manage the cup return bins. Yet, even with these limitations, we still managed to recover 77% of the cups used and 86% of the total cups ordered.
This was an interesting test for the reuse community. It was a last-minute call to action and the team pulled together for a successful event, despite the challenges. This event has also opened discussions with the Chamber to convert a corporate campus to reusable and approved compostable materials for their cafeterias and catering. We are looking forward to this continued collaboration and to implementing what we learn into our other California cities and counties.
Thank you to the volunteers that answered the last-minute call to action and helped us to reach that 77% return rate! Our work is not possible without your support.
