Of the fourteen practices PLEET scores, reusable foodware for dine-in carries the most weight, and it is required for certification. It is also the one owners are most wary of, because it looks like a cost: plates to buy, a dishwasher to run, staff time to wash. The published evidence says the opposite.
What the numbers say
Upstream, a nonprofit that works on reuse systems, published its Reuse Wins report in 2021 after modelling the switch for dine-in service across restaurant types. Its central finding was that moving on-site dining to reusables "always ends up saving money", because the recurring cost of buying disposables outruns the one-off cost of durable foodware and the running cost of washing it.
ReThink Disposable, a programme of Clean Water Action, helps restaurants make the change and publishes what each one saved. World Gourmet in Fremont, California, saves about $3,500 a year; Falafel, Etc. saves $11,779 a year. Each case study on its site lists the items replaced.
San Francisco's Environment Department, which has helped more than 200 restaurants switch, reports savings of between $3,000 and $20,000 a year depending on the size of the business.
Why it saves
A disposable cup costs a few cents and is bought again every day. A durable cup costs a few dollars and is bought once, then washed for a fraction of a cent. The savings above are annual figures after washing costs, and the bin bill goes down as well, because most kitchens already run a dishwasher for pots, pans and glassware and the extra load is marginal.
Where to start
- Run your own numbers. The Chart-Reuse onsite dining calculator estimates savings, payback period and waste avoided for a specific restaurant. It is free with an account.
- Get free help. ReThink Disposable's specialists visit restaurants in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island and do the cost analysis for you.
- Get free foodware. Plastic Free America pays for reusables outright, San Francisco provides up to $700 of foodware with set-up, and Alameda County offers up to $500. Each has its own page in this section.
- Choose products that last. The Reusable Foodware Purchasing Guide from ReThink Disposable and Surfrider (2024) covers what to buy for different service styles, and Upstream's library includes a directory of reuse suppliers and a map of commercial washing services.