Beyond Plastics is a national education and organising project with more than 200 local groups. Its restaurant guide, "Hold the Plastic, Please", published in July 2022, is written for an owner or manager rather than a campaigner: what to change, in what order, and how to explain it to the people on both sides of the counter. It is free, and it comes in English and Spanish.
What is in the guide
- Practical advice on what to change and in what order.
- Communication tips: how to explain the change to customers and staff so that it sticks.
- Two case studies of restaurants that made the switch.
- A Spanish edition, which matters in kitchens where the people doing the packing do not read the owner's language.
Skip the Stuff
Beyond Plastics also runs the Skip the Stuff toolkit, which backs the "accessories only on request" rule: cutlery, napkins, condiments and extra containers added to a takeout order only when the customer asks. New York City has required it since July 2023, and New Jersey's statewide version took effect in August 2026. The toolkit includes posters for the counter with no organisational logo on them, so a restaurant can print and use them without looking as though it has joined a campaign.
Why it fits PLEET's practices
"Single-use items upon request" is one of the fourteen practices scored here, and one of the seven required for certification. The guide and the posters are the shortest route from deciding to do it to staff actually doing it.