StopWaste is honored to announce that we have been named a winner of Phase 2 of the Re-X Before Recycling Prize by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office. We were one of 10 teams selected to receive $150,000 in cash and up to $100,000 in technical assistance support from a DOE national laboratory to further our efforts in transitioning school districts from single-use foodware to reusable foodware.

 

In collaboration with Center for Environmental Health (CEH), the funding will involve collecting and analyzing data from Alameda County Schools that have transitioned to reusable foodware while expanding support to help additional schools and districts make the switch. With this funding, we can offer more technical assistance and provide grants and incentives for schools to purchase equipment including reusable foodware, dishwashers, and drying racks, making the transition for schools more cost-effective. A total of 26 schools have successfully adopted reusable foodware systems so far with many more in the process. 

 

Beyond local support, this prize will allow CEH to leverage data from Alameda County pilot schools to develop a national toolkit for school districts, offering resources and guidance for transitioning to reusable foodware systems.

 

The prize was designed to advance innovative designs that could keep materials in use beyond a single lifecycle and the agency is prepared to apply our learnings from our pilot phase to improve and expand the project to reach more students and community members in Alameda County.

 

Learn more about the prize and read about all the winners here. To learn more about the strides schools are making across the county in transitioning from single use to reusable foodware, click here.