Reuse Case Study Explorer
The case for reuse is strong. Many dozens of case studies from pilots and projects around the world and across many sectors prove cost and environmental savings. In order to illustrate the potential for reuse in every documented scenario, Upstream has gathered this filterable database of reuse case studies. By using the filters, you can identify and/or download all case studies pertaining to the most common fields of inquiry. (Discover more sorting tags by clicking into each case study).
If you know of a case study you do not find here, please let us know and we will happily add it! If you would like further information about any of these case studies or would like to further explore how such data can inform your reuse operations, contact us.
Sector Key
Click an icon to see case studies by sector — and/or use the filters in the side bar.
Surfrider: The Tiny Turtle
Venue size: 200
Disposables Avoided: 64,800 (annual)
Cost Savings: $3,285 (annual)
USEFULL: Saint Olaf College
Project Size: 2,988 student body
Dishwashing Model: commercial dishwasher
Funding Source: unknown
Material: metal
Return Rate: 99%
Disposables Avoided: 58,251 (annual)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
USEFULL: Union College
Project Size: 2,000 student body
Dishwashing Model: commercial dishwasher
Funding Source: unknown
Material: metal
Return Rate: 97%
Disposables Avoided: 2,882 (1 month)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
USEFULL: University of Southern California
Project Size: 47,100 student body
Dishwashing Model: commercial dishwasher
Funding Source: unknown
Material: metal
Return Rate: 99%
Disposables Avoided: 78,566
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
Keep Scotland Beautiful: Highland Cup Movement
Project size: 22 participating businesses
Dishwashing model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: Grant - Bring it Back Fund
Material: plastic
Return rate: 92%
Disposables Avoided: 1,051 (7 months)
Cost Savings: n/a
ReThink Disposable: The Warfield
Venue Size: 2250
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 93%
Disposables Avoided: 204,800 (annual)
Cost Savings: $33,000 annual profit due to 3% sustainability fee
Break-Even: Unknown
ReThink Disposable: The Fillmore
Venue Size: 1199
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 89% (2 months)
Disposables Avoided: 16,400 (2 months) / 176,200 (annual)
Cost Savings: $1,400 (annual)
Break-Even: Unknown
ReThink Disposable: August Hall
Venue Size: 951
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 91% (3.5 months)
Disposables Avoided: 24,500 (3.5 months) / 232,000 (annual)
Cost Savings: $29,700 (annual)
Break-Even: Unknown
City of Tallinn: Youth Song & Dance Festival
Audience Size: 125,000
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: Municipal
Material: plastic
Return Rate: unknown
Disposables Avoided: 500,000
Cost Savings: unknown
MA DEP: New Bedford Public Schools
Project Size: 12,500 student school district
Dishwashing Model: commercial dishwasher
Funding Source: Government grant - MA DEP SMRP
Material: plastic
Disposables Avoided: 1,627,980 (annual)
Cost Savings: unknown
Break-Even: unknown
Green Sports Alliance: Live Nation Entertainment
Venue Size: 45,820
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 80%
Disposables Avoided: 500,000 (2 weeks)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
Green Sports Alliance: Wimbledon Championships
Venue Size: 42,000
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: Unknown
Disposables Avoided: 500,000 (2 weeks)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
Green Sports Alliance: WM Phoenix Open
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 85%
Disposables Avoided: 7,000 (5 days)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
Green Sports Alliance: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Venue Size: 77,500
Dishwashing Model: Reuse Service Provider
Funding Source: None
Material: Plastic
Return Rate: 92%
Disposables Avoided: 30,000 (3 months)
Cost Savings: Unknown
Break-Even: Unknown
Ocean Friendly Restaurants: Channel Island Juice Co.
Material: Glass Bottles
Funding Source: None
Model: Bottle deposit ($2)
Return Rate: 60%
Additional Resources
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![stadium]()
3 Chart-Reuse Case Studies
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![Two people are holding reusable cups of beer at an event, with a staff member wearing a black shirt and a green staff badge in the background.]()
Reuse Wins at Events
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![People working on wireframes and sketches for a website or app, with colorful sticky notes, markers, and a laptop on a white table.]()
A design sprint with business innovators
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![A bowl of pasta salad with green peas, parsley, lemon wedges, and a dollop of ricotta cheese, with a fork on the side, a glass of water, a stack of salad containers, and a red and white checkered napkin.]()
Serve it Safe
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![Dining area in a restaurant with wooden tables set with white napkins, forks, and empty glasses, large windows showing city buildings outside.]()
5 impact profiles of restaurants that switched to reuse
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![Person holding a metal tray with a meal including strawberries, green peas, blueberries with yogurt, a slice of bread, and fried food, with a metal cup and spoon on the tray.]()
The Conscious Cafeteria Report
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![dinosaur fossils in a natural history museum]()
Chart-Reuse Case Study: Reuse at a Cultural Attraction
