Pass Policy
Model Policies
Public policy can be one of the most effective accelerators for source reduction and reuse – at the local, state and federal levels.
Policy Tracker Resources Reuse Solutions Network
Picture the iconic image of the chasing arrows in a triangle - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Many of us have heard it our entire lives. Our kids are taught it in school, and today, more people recycle than vote in the United States.
But somewhere along the way, we forgot that the first two R’s - reduce and reuse - are way more important for the environment than recycling. And unfortunately, we’ve spent most of our time, energy and resources on recycling because frankly, it’s easy. And it doesn’t threaten the throw-away, disposable paradigm established by the current practices of consumer packaged goods and fast food corporations.
Today, part of Upstream’s focus is on promoting source reduction and reuse through public policy at the local, state and federal levels.
Source reduction involves redesigning systems, products, and services to get us what we want and need without all the waste.
Prioritizing reduce, reuse and refill first focuses “upstream” in the lifecycle of products which helps ensure they don’t become waste that is generally hard to recycle or compost.
Right now, the reuse policies that make the most sense to legislate at the local level focus on food service and events (restaurants and catering), as these are business sectors where decisions about packaging are being made locally.
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Take-out and delivery with utensils, straws, napkins, and condiments that most people already have at home creates instant trash. This policy requires food service operators to “skip the stuff” and only provide these items when a customer specifically asks for them. If you are interested in getting this policy enacted at the local or state level, check out Upstream’s Skip the Stuff campaign. We are supporting activists across North America who are helping to get these policies enacted.
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With this policy enacted, you sit down to eat at a restaurant and are served with real plates, cups, and utensils – nothing to throw away at the end of your meal. Learn more about how switching to reusables for on-site dining can save local food businesses money.
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With this policy approach, there is a consumer fee for disposable cups and containers. But you can avoid the costs by bringing your own cup or container – and it also requires that the retailer provides a returnable, reusable alternative at lower cost.
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With this requirement, you won’t be leaving the festival or sports event trudging through piles of disposable plastic cups because everyone was served with cups that get washed and reused. Learn more about how reuse wins at events and check out the scientific evidence that shows that reusable stainless steel and polypropylene cups dramatically outperform single-use cups across all environmental metrics.
These metrics are useful fodder for helping to pass the Model reduce reuse government purchasing policy – keeping single-use products out of government meetings, events, and offices.
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Model Foodware Packaging Reduction Ordinance (2022)
This Model Foodware and Packaging Reduction Ordinance can be used to guide policy drafting efforts at the local, state, or federal level. It provides a comprehensive approach to building reduction and reuse in food service. The model can be treated like a menu of options: Policy makers select specific provisions to create stand-alone policies, and take a more narrowly focused approach. (Photo credit: Dispatch Goods)
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Model Source Reduction Purchasing Policy (2022)
Leveraging the purchasing power of government, especially at the scale of can have enormous impact. Prioritizing reduce, reuse, and repair should be at the core of government procurement policies. Agencies can specify purchase and use of reusable products for government meetings, events, and offices and prohibit the purchasing of specific throw-away items such as disposable beverage and foodware containers.
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Model #SkipTheStuff Policy (2022)
In the U.S., 561 billion disposable food service items are used every year, resulting in 4.9 million tons of waste. Americans use more than 36 billion utensils and as much as 142 billion straws each year. Most restaurants provide these accessories for take-out meals even if the customer doesn’t want or need them. Together, we can change this. Join or start a campaign to #SkipTheStuff.
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Model Food Service Ware Ordinance (2023)
Designed by StopWaste for Alameda County, this Model Ordinance is customizable for a diverse range of jurisdictions, providing flexibility for each jurisdiction to reflect its needs. Each jurisdiction will want to develop an approach to managing food service ware and related items that addresses its priorities.