U.S. public schools generate 14,500 tons of waste daily, and 42% is from food packaging alone, posing a threat to human health. To respond, California enacted the Sustainable Packaging for the State of California Act of 2018, requiring school food serviceware to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. These are good advances, but reusable options may reduce waste generation and exposure to potentially harmful chemical additives.

A recent study examined the impact of implementing reusable lunch trays, utensils, and condiment dispensers on the amount of food serviceware and packaging waste in elementary school lunches. Researchers collected data from 10 California schools that implemented reusable serviceware and 10 schools within the same school district that continued to use disposable items. 

Study results revealed that schools using reusable serviceware during lunch meals had overall waste reduction of approximately 5 kilograms per day compared to 1 kilogram per day in comparison schools. This difference suggests the potential for substantial waste reduction if schools switch from disposable to reusable servicewear. 

The study was published in the journal Cleaner Food Systems and funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, AFRI Competitive Grant no. 2020-68015-30736. It was co-authored by Reka Vasicsek, Celeste Felix, Danielle Lee, John Miller, Wendi Goslinger, Hannah Thompson, and Lorenne Ritchie at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Nutrition Policy Institute, Stephanie Willits at the Fremont Unified School District, Kristine Madsen at the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley, and Jessica Heiges at the Genentech Sustainability Department.