Reuse at venues and events
New Report: Reuse Wins at Events
As fans return to sporting arenas and concert-goers celebrate 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 cups to reuse systems and now single-use aluminum. 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.
Does the way you serve food line up with your values?
You work hard to create an incredible experience for your visitors. The attention to detail. The experiences. The fun. We love it. We keep coming back. And we bring our friends and family because there’s nothing like what you’ve created.
But think about your concessions. Have you afforded the same attention to detail there? Does the way you serve food line up with your values as an institution?
Take plastic pollution. Did you know that a lot of the plastic trash found in oceans and rivers is from the same products you may be using? Items like plastic cutlery, insulated cups, plastic lids, straws, stirrers, bags, plates, and to-go boxes.
Upstream can help your venue shift from single-use to reuse.
We’ve developed a service that makes it easy to make the switch. We can help your venue:
Transition from single-use-disposable products to real and reusable.
Understand the economic and environmental benefits.
Realize net cost savings.
Calculate the carbon emissions avoided, water saved, and waste prevented.
Support your venue in telling this story to your visitors.
Become part of a national movement to solve plastic pollution.
Did you know there’s a better way than throw-away?
Imagine your visitors finding a place to eat at your venue. Now imagine there’s no more throw-away stuff. When they sit down to eat, they’re eating on real plates with real forks and knives. When they’re grabbing a soda, beer or coffee, it’s in a real cup. How much more enjoyable would their experience be with nothing to throw away?
Now imagine the story you can tell about getting off single-use.
A story that aligns with your values and amplifies your impact on your visitors. What if you could report out the greenhouse gases saved, the water saved, the trees saved, the waste prevented because you are a Throw-Away-Free Place? And what if you could save money on your concessions too?
Upstream helps venues and event companies that want to go reusable.
We know you may be very busy and taking on a project like this might seem overwhelming. That’s where Upstream comes in. We bring our expertise, tools and networks, and work with you and your vendors step-by-step, to make it easy to make the shift.
Practically, this means:
For the sit-down dining experience, your visitors would eat on real plates with real cutlery.
Beverages like coffee and water would be served in real cups.
Wine and beer would be served in real and reusable glasses or cups.
Soda fountains with real cups could be explored to cut down on bottle waste.
Self-serve condiment dispensers could be explored to cut down on packet waste.
Composting services could be explored for food and paper napkin waste.
Of course, you and your vendors can still serve products you want to sell – like packaged chips and cookies, or bottled soda. The idea is to minimize throw-away wherever possible while serving people what they want.
It’s getting easier to hold true zero waste events with all the companies that provide reusable cups and wash them. One popular model involves the customer paying a deposit on a venue cup and getting the option to keep the cup as a souvenir or return it on-site. This service is provided by Enviro-cups and Green Goblet in the UK; Globelet in New Zealand, Australia, and the US; and r.Cup in the UK and the U.S.
It’s getting easier to hold zero waste events.
Resource Library
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LCA Report: Reuse Wins at Events
Podcasts
Episode 110: Michael Martin and Tina Swanson of r.Cup discuss the exciting developments percolating with their reusable cup system at events, venues and beyond.