With fans returning to sporting arenas and concert-goers celebrating the return of music festivals, sustainability issues at events and venues are coming back into focus - specifically, the ever-present disposable plastic cup. Many attempts at solutions have been introduced, from bioplastic to reuse systems and now single-use aluminum cups. But there has been no clear scientific consensus as to which options have the greatest environmental impact and which options have the least - until now.

On Wednesday, representatives from 175 nations agreed to draft a global treaty that would start to tackle the exponentially growing amount of plastic pollution that we’re facing – essentially a Paris Agreement for plastics.

After launching a few reuse coalitions ourselves (and supporting others to do the same), we offer the following best practices to help you think about what might work best in your community.

Trash pollutes city streets, waterways, parks, and natural ecosystems – all at a cost to people and the planet. It’s clear by now that disposables don’t make any sense. But really – they literally don’t make dollars or cents. Learn why this is and how Upstream is helping transform the food service sector from a disposable nightmare to a real and reusable future.

Coca Cola announced their commitment to serve 25% of their beverages in reusable packaging by 2030. Learn what this means for reusables in consumer brands and join us in commending their commitment to growing a circular economy for packaging that prioritizes “reduce and reuse” first – over recycling.

EPR – aka extended producer responsibility – is a policy tool that holds consumer brands responsible for the environmental impacts of their products and packaging. Learn how EPR can move us toward a circular economy that follows the waste reduction hierarchy of reduce and reuse first, before recycling.

In honor of Black History Month, learn the past and present of today’s environmental justice (EJ) movement. Find out how environmental racism has played a role in the mistreatment of communities of color throughout United States history – and how reuse can help drive equal access to economic, social, and environmental opportunities.

Walk through the history – and future – of bottle bills (aka deposit-refund systems) and explore how bottle bills were used in the past and what caused the shift from this reuse–refill economic model to the modern-era throw-away system.

Learn about Upstream’s roots and the journey of the zero waste movement. From the history of waste management to the innovation of extended producer responsibility policies, see how far we’ve come today.