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PRESS RELEASE

Seattle Venues Expand Reusable Containers, Eliminating Tons of Plastic Waste

Press Release dated February 1, 2022

First U.S. city to develop public-private partnership with music venues, replacing disposable cups, creating new city-wide reusable system and reducing climate impact

SEATTLE, WA – Today, Reuse Seattle announced a new project with r.Cup to bring reusable cups to Seattle music venues and reduce the problem of disposable plastic waste. This project will help transition the city of Seattle’s businesses, residents and public areas away from single-use plastics to reusable products.

Reuse Seattle is a public-private partnership among Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Partnership to Reuse, Refill, Replace Single-Use Plastics (PR3), Cascadia Consulting Group, and a growing list of Seattle restaurants and entertainment venues. r.Cup has developed a turnkey cup washing and logistics service integrating new standards from PR3 that will help meet the growing demand for reusable products in cities across the U.S.

PR3 analysis shows that replacing single-use plastic—which is made from fossil fuels—with reusable containers could save up to 80% of climate emissions if cities adopt these standards.

“SPU is excited about the promise of reuse in Seattle. This collaboration allows us to educate our local businesses and support reusable serviceware entrepreneurs,” said Andrew Lee, interim general manager at SPU. “Additionally, this will give the community sound options for a transition away from single-use serviceware.”

The live event industry contributes over 4 billion single-use and disposable cups that end up in landfills each year in North America. Reusable products in Seattle alone, such as r.Cup, can eliminate at least 12,000 tons of plastic packaging per year, reducing waste and preventing climate change.

“We are very proud and so excited to be working with the incredible teams at PR3, Seattle Public Utilities, Cascadia, and The Washington Environmental Council to design and standardize municipal reuse systems and deliver r.Cup as reuse infrastructure to the city of Seattle,” said Keiko Niccolini, chief marketing officer and general manager of r.Cup. “The leadership at the Showbox venues and Washington Nightlife Music Association is doing extraordinary work to push this meaningful solution forward.”

At the center of this partnership is PR3’s Reusable Packaging System Design Standard, which is the first ever guidance for public and private entities on how to work together to create connected reuse systems.

“Study after study demonstrates that reuse is an essential tool for transitioning the U.S. to a low-carbon economy,” said Amy Larkin, cofounder of PR3. “Reuse Seattle is creating the ultimate blueprint for public-private partnerships that make reuse accessible, convenient and affordable. Despite the pandemic challenges live venues have faced, musicians are leading the way for plastic reduction.”

The rollout of r.Cup in select music venues across Seattle will begin in early 2022.

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Reuse Seattle is a public-private partnership among the City of Seattle, PR3, Cascadia Consulting Group, the city’s major sports and entertainment venues, small and medium-sized restaurants and businesses, and a growing list of new partners.

PR3 is an initiative of RESOLVE to create universal standards for reuse systems.

CONTACT: Janel Forsythe, janel@upshiftstrategies.com

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