Assessing the Viability of a Proposed Third-Party Reusable Foodware System: An Environmental and Economic Comparison

The United States generates 73 million tons of plastic waste annually, with over 6% attributed to the restaurant industry. The EPA recommends that restaurants reduce their plastic waste by transitioning to reusable foodware items. Previous studies have shown that using a single reusable foodware item, such as a cup, can result in lower environmental impacts and greater economic benefits compared to single-use plastic alternatives. However, the upfront costs of purchasing reusables, commercial dishwashers, and other associated expenses remain significant barriers for restaurants, leading many to continue using single-use plastic foodware. This study aims to analyze and compare the environmental impacts and economic feasibility of a proposed foodware reuse system versus single-use plastic cutlery and plates in restaurants. A life cycle assessment (LCA) will evaluate the environmental impacts of both foodware options in the following impact categories: fossil (non-renewable energy demand), climate change, fossil depletion, freshwater ecotoxicity, human toxicity, marine ecotoxicity, terrestrial ecotoxicity, ozone depletion, and water depletion. The results of the Life Cycle Analysis revealed that the reusable foodware must be reused at least 25 times within the proposed system before having less environmental impacts in every category. The economic analysis concluded that if at least 1,248 reusable place settings are leased per day by participating food service providers, the reusable foodware system could generate a profit of $0.02 per place setting while also saving participating food providers upwards of $0.07 per place setting. Ultimately, the third-party reusable foodware system could be an environmentally and economically favorable alternative to single-use plastic foodware.