Now is the Time for Every School to Switch to Reuse

Here’s why.

Schools consume and dispose of billions of single-use foodware items annually and generate a lot of waste that is not easily recycled or composted. Reuse is the solution.

girl in cafeteria with reusable plate

The USDA reports that 4.7 billion lunches are served annually in the National School Lunch Program.

Reusable foodware in K-12 schools used to be the norm. But between the commercialization and transformation of school lunch programs into a plastic-processed, heat-and-serve model of food service; changes in school infrastructure and budgets; and the Covid pandemic, single-use now dominates in many cafeterias across the US.

Not only are these single-use foodware items harmful for the planet, but commonly-used single-use products in school food services have been found to be laced with toxic and carcinogenic perfluorinated compounds, commonly referred to as PFAS.

aerial view of girl eating out of reusable lunchbox

Let’s teach future generations to reuse instead of just recycle.

Sustainability is a goal for many schools around the country. But all too often they focus on diversion from landfills — through better recycling and composting — rather than eliminating unnecessary waste in the first place. The reuse economy is burgeoning, and normalizing reuse practices from a young age will help culture adapt and thrive in this inevitable economic restructuring.

We didn’t want to normalize the idea that it’s okay to just use a dish for 15 minutes and then toss it in the trash
— Monica Camagna, Glendale Environmental Coalition

Going reusable saves schools money.

Whether a school’s food is prepared and served on-site; prepared off-site and delivered from a central commercial kitchen; or provided by contracted food management companies, or a combination of the above—there are cost-effective solutions to shift to reuse in cafeterias.

Reallocating school budgets from maintaining a costly take-make-waste operation will build efficiency that:

  • reduces waste, carbon emissions. and plastic pollution

  • cuts costs

  • enhances the dining experience

  • offers a service that school communities enjoy and take pride in

In fact, analysis of existing case studies of K-12 schools that switched to reuse reveals:

  • Schools that switched some or all of their dishware to reusables saved an average of $23,6000 

  • Schools broke even financially often within a few months and no more than the second year into their reuse programs (depending on up-front costs)

  • Almost all schools received funding from state grants and/or Plastic Free Restaurants, reducing or eliminating up-front costs while accelerating the benefits of long-term savings.

We found we were able to start saving money within the second year of reuse because we weren’t constantly putting out funds to purchase something that literally goes in the trash can. The project became less cumbersome to our finances than it would have been had we stayed with our single-use products within about 19 months of undergoing this change to reusables.
— Natasha Wayne, Reaching All Minds Academy, Durham, NC

Grants for replacing milk cartons with bulk milk

The ubiquitous  milk cartons found in school lunch rooms are generally not recyclable, and often milk carton waste (and discarded milk) is one of the largest sources of waste from school cafeterias. Schools are remedying this problem by installing bulk milk dispensers, and there are funding opportunities to help the transition: 

  • In 2025,  Zero Waste Washington secured a King County RE+ grant and began working with County schools to move from cartons of milk to bulk milk dispensers.

  • The Chef Ann Foundation offers funding to schools to switch to milk dispensers. 


→ Worried about spillage? School lunch trays,
like this Green-Screen certified tray, can be designed with the cup holder in the middle of the tray, providing the most stable surface.

When it comes to dishwashing, schools have options

Many schools find it cost-prohibitive to install and/or maintain commercial dishwashers—or they do not have the space. The conversation does not need to end there! 

  • Contracts with a reuse service provider who can pick up, wash, and return dishware can replace expenditures on waste hauling and dishwasher installation or maintenance. This was the route Reaching All Minds Academy in Durham, NC took, and they broke even after 19 months. The Walpole, MA school district contract with reuse service provider Re:Dish involved no upfront costs and prevents 396,000 disposables from entering the waste stream annually. 

  • Grants can help pay for the up-front cost of reusables. California piloted a dishwasher grant in 2022, and Upstream’s reuse grant tracker lists possibilities for reuse funding across the US and Canada. 

Learn more about dishwashing options and case studies from Center for Environmental Health’s webinar: Dish Washing and Dish Machines in K-12 Schools

The role of schools in accelerating the reuse economy

The most ready sectors for the transformation to reuse include high volume, closed-loop sports and entertainment venues like stadiums and arenas—as well as K-12 school districts. The economies of scale provided by these high-volume venues allow other sectors in a municipality, such as grocery, public schools, restaurants, festivals, corporate cafes, local food producers, and retirement communities, which may not previously have been able to afford reuse systems on their own, to now access services. What begins as one anchor contract in a ready sector catalyzes transformation in how an entire city thinks about waste and materials.

A Community of Support

If you are interested in making the switch in your school community, check out the resources, podcasts, and articles below as well as these groups and organizations:

Resource & Media Library

  • kid with lunch tray

    The Conscious Cafeteria Report

    Upstream & Ahimsa (2024)

  • girl eating lunch out of reusable lunchbox

    School Case Study Roundup

    A directory of school case studies, maintained by Upstream.

  • reusable lunch containers

    Ditching Disposables Toolkit

    Center for Environmental Health (2024)

  • child's hand serving food into a bowl

    Ditching Disposables: Dish Washing and Dish Machines in K-12 Schools

    Center for Environmental Health (2022)

  • Two boys selecting empty stainless steel lunch trays in a cafeteria or food service area.

    Reuse for Onsite Dining Library

    Maintained by Upstream — contains several resources relevant to reuse in schools

  • smiling little girl with sandwich

    Key Takeaways & FAQS for Switching to School Reuse

    Green Schools Alliance

  • girl with a stainless steel reusable cup

    How Schools Can Work with County Health Departments to Implement Non-Toxic Reuse

    CEH & Upstream webinar (2025)

  • infographic

    Infographic: Keeping loss rates low in school cafeterias

    Upstream & ReThink Disposable (2025)

  • school buses

    Reuse in Berkeley Schools

    Chart-Reuse Case Study (2024)

  • tiffins in a cafeteria kitchen

    Life Cycle Environmental & Cost Analysis of Disposable vs Reusable Ware in School Cafeterias

    School Nutrition Foundation (2009)