San Francisco Music Venues Raise the Bar for Sustainability: Case study on a reusable cup pilot at three San Francisco venues

Introduction

In a groundbreaking initiative to combat single-use plastic pollution, several iconic San Francisco music venues took the leap towards sustainability by switching to reusable cups. Supported by San Francisco Environment Department and Clean Water Fund’s ReThink Disposable program, these venues teamed up with reusable cup providers r.World and TURN, leading the way in the entertainment industry. This effort, started in November 2022, is detailed in this case study covering results up to October 2023.

Cup Service Providers

r.World

Since launching in 2017, r.World has provided reuse services to thousands of events across over 100 venues, 70 cities, 30 U.S. states and 12 countries. For this collaboration, r.World provided their full service, reusable cup service, called r.Cup, to one San Francisco music venue. This project seeded r.World’s permanent wash hub in San Francisco’s Mission District, providing essential reuse infrastructure for the broader San Francisco Bay Area.

TURN

TURN offers a comprehensive capture-and-reuse system with more than a decade of experience eliminating single-use plastic cups from large-scale events in the US and Europe. TURN provided their fullservice reusable cup system to two music venues in San Francisco. This project helped initiate TURN’s permanent wash hub in Vacaville, addressing the region’s crucial need for reuse infrastructure.

The Venues

Three legendary music venues in San Francisco (August Hall, The Fillmore, and The Warfield) have engaged in this forward-thinking endeavor. These historic establishments have hosted countless memorable concerts, and now they’re making history of a different kind.
 

How It Works

r.World and TURN deliver reusable cups to each venue in stackable reusable bins. Trained venue staff distribute and stack cups at every point of sale location. Guests grab their drinks and once finished, return their cups into clearly marked return bins. After each show, venue staff aggregate used cups from front of house receptacles into larger bins for r.World or TURN to pick up. Pick up and drop off schedules are coordinated between the venue manager and the account manager of the reuse company. r.World and TURN transport used cups to a local wash hub. There, the cups are cleaned, sanitized, dried, and packed again for reuse.

To learn more about our ReThink Disposable program, visit ReThinkDisposable.org.

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San Franscisco Music Venues: Raise the Bar for Sustainability
ReThinkDisposableCaseStudy_San Francisco Music Venues.pdf (7.84 MB)
January 16, 2024 | By ReThink Disposable Case Studies and Clean Water Fund
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Reusable cup sign at music venue and group of attendees posing with their cups

The Warfield

The Warfield, originally built in the 1920s, was a vaudeville and movie palace and became a 2,250-person capacity concert hall in 1979. In 2023, The Warfield successfully made the switch from single-use plastic and paper cups to reusable cups with a small sustainability fee generating yearly revenue.
The Fillmore pouring drinks into reusable glasses

The Fillmore

The Fillmore is a 1,199-person capacity music venue located in the Western Addition of San Francisco, California and, fittingly, where Andy Warhol’s Exploding Plastic Inevitable avant-garde multimedia show took place. The Fillmore transitioned from using compostable plastic cups to using TURN reusable cups for an net annual savings of $1,400.
Image of two guests at a concert at August Hall in SF. Photo by ReThink Disposable.

August Hall

August Hall, originally built in the 1890s, is now a multidisciplinary event space with a 951-person capacity music hall, cocktail room, full kitchen, and three lanes of bowling. By switching to reusable TURN cups from 232,000 single-use cups, they expect to save nearly $30,000 annually.

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