ReThink Disposable, working with a Silicon Valley Community Foundation grant, and in collaboration with Story of Stuff and Center for Environmental Health, was able to offer free technical assistance to three restaurants in San Jose to reduce the use of disposable foodware for dine-in customers. The conversions ranged from an array of several items to a simple chopstick & sauce cup conversion, which we use to show the impact even a small change can make in reduction of single-use disposables and plastics.
Restaurants received up to $600 in funding to purchase reusable, washable dine-in foodware to help offset the cost of making changes. From the largest conversion at La Enramada, where customers now enjoy their meals with stainless steel utensils and hot cups of coffee in ceramic mugs, to the smallest conversion of chopsticks and sauce cups at Korean Palace, all three restaurants saw significant waste reduction and an annual cost savings. Combined, these restaurants were able to dramatically reduce plastic pollution in their operations, and all stand as real examples of businesses that are both eco-friendly and economical.
Three local restaurants in San Jose — La Enramada Restaurant y Taqueria, Thai Chili Express, and Korean Palace — teamed up to reduce single-use disposable waste by over 381,376 individual pieces and over 5,695 pounds annually. After the initial payback period, this group of restaurants will collectively be saving over $15,000 every year by purchasing fewer disposables.
“We stopped using all that plastic and paper—utensils, cups, straws—and switched to stainless steel, glass, and ceramic; it feels good, it looks better, and our customers notice the difference. For us, it’s about respect for the food and the planet.” — Victor Onofre, Owner of La Enramada
“I was willing to try out switching some of my most used disposable products with reusable versions and was excited by the prospect of reducing waste and saving money, but I was hesitant to switch some items to a reusable version because it may be hard to keep up with a 3-sink system. Now that my reusables are implemented and my customers are loving the changes, I am looking forward to changing more items like water cups.” — Thuy Vu, Owner of Thai Chili
“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.” — Daniel Woo, Owner of Korean Palace
