CHICAGO, March 13, 2025 — A citywide test of reusable to-go cups has proven consumers and the food-away-from-home industry are ready to wean themselves off single-use drink containers, according to the big-name chains and suppliers that collaborated on the experiment.
The group, collectively known as the NextGen Consortium, includes such well-known brands as Starbucks, McDonald’s, The Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, KFC and Toast. Last summer they joined forces with local restaurants in Petaluma, CA, for what is believed to be the first citywide test of a switch to reusable to-go cups.
Residents were asked to join the local establishments in switching wholly to the reusables, which were provided at no extra charge as part of a routine transaction. Instead of getting the usual disposable cup, patrons were given their drinks in a purple cup. Hot and cold drinks were served in 8 and 12-ounce containers, and a 22-ounce cup was available for fountain drinks.
The exception was Starbucks, which used a translucent cup with a Sippy Cup-style lid that could also be reused.
Patrons were instructed to place their cups after use in special purple receptacles provided in each participating business. The host operation then washed and sanitized the cups and returned them to use.
A cup didn’t have to be returned to the same operation that initially provided it.
Additional return bins were located on city streets, and quick-service restaurants provided drive-thru customers with bins that could be accessed without leaving the car.
Residents could use an app to find the return bin closest to wherever they were.
About 220,000 cups were returned and reused during the 12-week experiment, according to the Consortium.
Awareness of the program was very high, with 83% of residents saying they were familiar with the initiative and its aim. About 80% of the locals said they wished the set-up would be left in place, and a quarter said in emails to the Consortium that they wished the arrangement would be tried elsewhere, and possibly on a national basis.
“The best part was that this project got the whole community involved,” said Petaluma Mayor Kevin McDonnell. “People got into it, and it was the talk of the town.”
The experiment “demonstrated an ambitious, innovative vision of reuse as an everyday reality, paving the way for the Consortium to scale reuse in California and other markets,” said Carolina Lobel, Senior Director of the Center for the Circular Economy, an operation of Consortium principal Closed Loop Partners. “Together, we can scale the solutions that have been proven to work.”
The Consortium estimates that 50 billion cups are used once and then thrown away within the United States every year.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.
Cover image courtesy: Closed Loop Project