Reuse vs. Single-Use: Environment

Many of us intrinsically understand that reuse is better than single-use from an environmental standpoint.

And the science backs this up. While it can be difficult to accept that alternatives to single-use plastic – such as aluminum, paper, or compostable and recyclable products – are often no better for the environment, the good news is that there is a clear path forward. Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) document environmental impacts of a product usually from cradle (extraction), through manufacturing and consumption, to grave (disposal). The vast majority of LCA studies of food service ware show that reusables are better for the environment than single-use products and packaging.

The point at which the impact per use for a reusable product falls below that of a disposable product used for the same purpose is the environmental “break-even point.” After that point, the reusable product is environmentally superior. The break-even point for a reusable product will depend on various considerations, such as the weight and material composition of each product, how they are manufactured and then disposed, how often the reusable product is washed between uses. Each additional use beyond the break-even point accrues environmental benefits.

cappucino in reusable ceramic cup

Reuse beats single-use on every environmental metric.

The science shows that reuse clearly beats single-use in the six environmental metrics where they’ve been compared:

  1. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), or global warming potential (GWP)

  2. Water consumption

  3. Resource extraction

  4. Waste generation

  5. Litter generation

  6. Plastic pollution

Approximately 530 billion disposable cups are used globally each year. Stacked end to end, these cups would go to the moon and back 85 times.

protesters at a climate rally

1. Reuse protects the climate

Over their life cycle, reusable products, foodware and packaging have lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) compared to disposable alternatives.

  • With disposables, the largest greenhouse gas impacts occur in the resource extraction and manufacturing phases, mostly plastics from fossil fuels, paper from trees, bioplastics/biomaterials from crops, and aluminum from mining.

  • The GHGs from single-use-disposables dwarf those from reusables once the reusables have been used a certain number of times. This varies according to different types of reusable products; the materials they’re made from; the efficiency of the washing machines used; and the sources of energy for the regional electricity grid.

  • The main energy impacts of reusables occur during washing. With the increasing efficiency of dishwashers, the benefits have increased over time and continue to do so.

worker putting reusable cups in a dishwasher

2. Reuse can save water

Over their life cycle, reusable products, foodware and packaging generally use less water than disposable alternatives.

  • Similar to greenhouse gas emissions, the largest water use occurs in the resource extraction and manufacturing phases for different types of disposable materials.

  • The water use from single-use-disposables during the production phases is generally greater than that from reusables once the reusables have been used and washed a certain number of times.

  • The main water impacts of reusables come from washing.

  • The water used in the growing phase of bio-based plastics make them a less favorable choice among single-use foodware options, whereas the consumption phase (i.e. ware washing) for reusables represents 85-95% of the water impacts of reusable foodware.

Five hundred paper cups consume nearly 370 gallons of water – versus one ceramic cup washed 500 times, which uses 53 gallons.

Every time we use a single-use item and put in the garbage, we also throw away all the natural resources – the trees, the oil, the water and the energy – it took to make and get that product into our hands.

  • Think about all the times you have dined at a restaurant, cafeteria or venue where you were served with single-use plates, cups, and cutlery – and ended up throwing a pile of garbage away after your meal.

  • Or when you’re at a coffee shop – and there are real mugs behind the counter – but everyone is drinking out of throw-away cups with plastic lids.

  • Or when you’re ordering take-out food or delivery, and you’re given plastic cutlery and napkins and all this stuff you don’t actually need – not to mention the bags and single-use containers that come automatically.

  • These same actions are repeated billions of times a day by billions of people living all over the world – day after day, year after year.

  • But the good news is that reuse can prevent the cutting down of trees, the mining of metals, and the drilling for fossil fuels associated with single-use disposable products and packaging.

grove of green trees

3. Reuse prevents the unnecessary exploitation of our natural world.

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4. Reuse stops waste before it starts.

Reuse stops waste and reduces costs for businesses and local governments to manage it.

  • The U.S. produces about 12 percent of the planet’s total waste, though it is home to only 4 percent of the world’s population.

  • Americans throw out 7 pounds of materials per person every day – that’s 1,700 pounds of materials per American every year. Thirty percent of our waste is single-use products and packaging.

  • Single-use disposables add costs to businesses to buy the single-use products and pay for waste hauling.

  • They also add costs to city governments for managing the waste.

  • But substituting reusables for disposables not only prevents this waste, it also saves businesses and taxpayers money.

More than 36 billion disposable utensils are used every year in the United States. Put end to end, they would wrap around the Earth 139 times.

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5. Reuse prevents litter.

Reuse prevents litter and saves communities money from having to clean up litter on the streets and in storm drains and rivers.

  • Litter cleanup costs US taxpayers nearly $12 billion dollars annually; over $500 million in California alone.

  • The most common object found during litter clean-up is fast food litter.

  • Litter reduction efforts like banning single-use plastic bags and putting fees on single-use paper bags can dramatically reduce litter.

  • For example, San Mateo County found an 85% reduction in litter in the storm drain system; Washington D.C. found a 75% reduction in litter entering local waterways; and the County of Los Angeles found 95% increase in consumers carrying reusable bags. California noted a 60% reduction in single-use plastic bags one year after implementation of the state-wide plastic bag ban.

Around 2 billion take-out containers are used in the EU annually, which would fill up 4 Eiffel Towers.

dolphin underwater

6. Reuse protects our oceans and helps solve plastic pollution.

  • More than a third of all plastic packaging produced winds up in the environment, and single-use food and beverage packaging comprise 2/3 of the top 20 most-commonly found plastic pollution items.

  • Many of the products found on the top 20 most-commonly found plastic pollution items can be eliminated by either customers bringing their own reusables – or better yet, the businesses providing food, beverages and other consumable products in reusables – either themselves or by contracting with reuse service providers that handle the collecting, cleaning and stocking of the reusable containers.

Resource Library: Reuse vs Single Use, Environment

Whether they are made from fossil fuels or plants, reducing the amount of single-use products consumed through reuse - always has greater environmental benefits.