Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program was founded in 2012 to assist the food service industry in converting their dine-in foodware to reusable, stopping trash before it starts. After thirteen successful years, one pandemic, and over 500 restaurants, venues, and schools converted, we are proud to say that this program has made a measurable impact on our community. Over 85% of our converted businesses are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, or women owned, and over 70% of the businesses we have converted - sadly many are closed - are continuing to use dine in reusable foodware. So what is next for the ReThink Program? Reusable takeout!
We know in this environment of higher food costs and rising rents, dine-in restaurants are reliant on takeout orders and have even added food trucks to weather the storm. We also know from our own waste assessment study and others going on now that over 70% of the trash littering our streets is single use disposable foodware. Changing consumer behavior to return reusable takeout items - creating the circular economy we are looking to build - will take time, education, and commitment from the food service industry and programs such as ours, so ReThink Disposable is rethinking takeout.
We have spent over a decade asking industry to meet us at the intersection of human health and the environment. It has taken a lot of legislation and hours of conversations, and we are happy to say that many companies are stepping up to offer plant-based reusables that are ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials) certified. We plan to take it one step further and send samples to either BPI or TUV testing sites to assure they are not made with toxic PFAS chemicals and are commercially compostable as well as reusable. These steps align with our current PFAS legislation which furthers our commitment to clean water and healthy communities.
This step into the takeout world represents an opportunity for ReThink to broaden our successful program and create data points that measure community engagement, consumer behavior changes, and cost effectiveness for takeout diners. We believe our program has provided value to the reuse community and we look forward to extending our expertise to the takeout side of the food service industry. We also look forward to building relationships with industry to continue to improve on plant-based compostable reusable foodware options. At ReThink Disposable we believe collaboration is key to success and welcome any suggestions from our members or from consumers looking to make sustainable choices whether they dine in or take their food to go.
Please join us! Become a member today and help us shape the world we want to leave the next generations.
