r.Cup, the Nation’s Leading Reuse Platform, Launches Operations in Seattle to Address the Global Single-Use Waste Crisis

?Reuse Seattle Program is Building a Model for Other Cities to Implement Nationwide

r.Cup, an environmental company and the leading reuse platform, is announcing that it has launched operations in Seattle. r.Cup makes it possible for businesses to switch to reusable cups and containers and stop using single-use disposables. r.Cup envisions a world where the widespread use of reusables dramatically reduces climate pollution and waste generation globally. This launch is part of a public-private collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities, and develops a model to roll out r.Cup nationwide so more cities can adopt reuse strategies. r.Cup’s operations in Seattle now includes support for event venues, restaurants, and other businesses across the city, as well as the opening of a central innovative Wash Hub for reusables.

The magnitude of the problems caused by people’s single-use habits is huge. Nearly 1 trillion individual pieces of disposable foodware items are thrown away each year in the US – that is 8 single-use items per person every day1. r.Cup’s reusable food and beverage wares are designed to be reused 1,000 times or more, which means that each business that offers r.Cup is reducing their environmental impact. To help businesses transition to reuse, r.Cup serves as a one-stop-shop that manages the planning, collection and transporting of used cups and serveware, washing, inventory, and sanitizing and delivery of clean items. r.Cup also provides training, communications, and marketing support for business operators and patrons.

The launch of r.Cup in Seattle is part of the “Reuse Seattle” initiative, a public-private partnership program that seeks to help businesses switch to washable, reusable options instead. r.Cup’s citywide reuse program is a revolutionary model that is being replicated in other cities around the world. r.Cup also gives 10% of company profits to nonprofits that are developing solutions to the world’s plastic crisis.?

“Developing a reuse infrastructure within cities is critical to tackling the single-use waste crisis and climate change. We’re excited to partner with Seattle and other cities to grow the Reuse Economy nationally,” said Michael Martin, CEO and Founder of r.Cup. “As we expand into other municipalities, we are sparking critical systemic change that makes widespread adoption of reusables a reality.”

With r.Cup, music venues across Seattle will stop using disposable cups and will offer reusable r.Cups instead, starting with many of Seattle’s iconic events and venues like Woodland Park Zoo’s “ZooTunes'' concerts, The Showbox, Showbox SoDo, 206 Zulu/Washington Hall, Paramount Theater, Moore Theater, and the Neptune Theater. r.Cup also offers r.Ware reusable food containers for food service operators to use at college campuses, company offices, healthcare centers, food courts, museums and aquariums, movie theaters, festivals, and more.

“We can’t recycle our way out of the problem of too many single-use disposables,” said Pat Kaufman, SPU Commercial Recycle/Compost/Reuse Program Manager at City of Seattle. “If we’re going to make actual progress toward our sustainability goals, we have to stop thinking that we can rely on recycling single-use packaging. Cities need systems that enable reuse, and that’s why we’re excited about what r.Cup is doing.”

With each new market that r.Cup expands into, the company builds a local eco-friendly Wash Hub. The new Seattle Wash Hub is a 8,500 square-foot facility that is located in an economic development zone in SoDo that also serves as r.Cup’s local operations and logistical hub. r.Cup leverages technology from Ecolab, a global leader in water savings and eco-friendly sanitization practices. In addition, r.Cup partners with second-chance employment programs to expand employment opportunities.

r.Cup’s launch in Seattle builds on its partnership with live entertainment company and major music event producer, AEG. Since Fall 2021, r.Cup has been operational at several AEG venues in Denver where over 500,000 single use cups have already been diverted from landfills. As r.Cup is expanding into more cities, the company has formed similar public-private partnerships around the country to accelerate growth in additional markets.?