The University of San Francisco’s Market Café cut 2.6 million pieces of disposable packaging a year and saved US$157,883 net, with no added labour, after moving on-site diners to reusables.
- Authors / organisation
- Clean Water Action / Clean Water Fund (ReThink Disposable)
- Year
- 2017
- Journal or publisher
- Clean Water Fund (case study)
- Study type
- Institutional report
- Evidence strength
- Evidence: Medium
- Sample / scope
- One university café, before and after switching on-site dining to reusables
- Key finding
- Switching on-site diners to reusables cut 2.6 million disposable items a year and saved US$157,883 net a year with no added labour.
- Headline number
- US$157,883 net saving a year
- Caveats / how it is misquoted
- A single site, reported by the non-governmental organisation that ran the programme; not independently audited. Items included paper as well as plastic.
- Open access
- Yes
- Verified on
- 23 September 2026
The University of San Francisco’s Market Café, run by Bon Appétit Management Company, worked with Clean Water Action’s ReThink Disposable programme to move diners eating on site from disposable to reusable plates, cups and cutlery. A 25-cent charge on disposables encouraged the change.
The café cut 2,607,519 pieces of disposable packaging a year and reported net savings of US$157,883 a year, with no added labour costs.
On-site dining is where reuse pays back fastest: the dishes never leave the building, so there is no return logistics to pay for.
