The disposable containers, cups, lids, and utensils that U.S. restaurants hand out add up to nearly 9 million tons of waste a year — about the weight of 25 Empire State Buildings — and close to four-fifths of that comes from takeout and delivery, according to the nonprofit Upstream’s Reuse Wins report.
A few years ago, two apps set out to shrink that pile by letting diners rate restaurants on their packaging. PlasticScore and Jybe each asked diners to score takeout packaging, ranking restaurants by how much single-use plastic and foam they handed out. The rating model leaned on a hard requirement: enough reviews in a given area to make the scores useful. In most cities that critical mass never arrived, and the apps stalled.
Today both have disappeared, but a different approach has taken hold: services that replace throwaway containers with reusable ones you borrow and return.
Borrow, Return, Repeat
The services gaining ground focus on durable containers built for repeated use. You order takeout in a reusable container, often a BPA-free polypropylene rated for around 1,000 uses, and return it to any participating location, and the operator washes it and puts it back into circulation.
The environmental payoff depends on how often each container is used. A University of Michigan life-cycle study, published in Resources, Conservation & Recycling in 2023, found that the environmental impact of reusable containers break even compared to single-use packaging after between 4 and 13 uses: about 4 to 6 uses to offset the extra greenhouse gases from manufacturing them, and 8 to 13 to offset the added energy involved in reuse. However, researchers said there is a catch — if even 5% of customers drive dedicated trips solely to return containers, the reuse system’s emissions can climb past those of single-use.
Reuse pays off when containers stay in circulation and returns fold into trips people already make. Upstream’s analysis puts break-even points across materials anywhere from 2 to 122 uses, with steel, glass, and ceramics good for thousands.
Where the Networks Operate Now
DeliverZero is in transition. The most established U.S. app launched in New York in 2019 and let diners add reusable containers to Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Toast orders for about $1, then return them to any participating restaurant. At its peak it reported a return rate near 98% across roughly 300 restaurants in New York, the Denver–Boulder area, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. In 2025, food-locker company Minnow Technologies acquired DeliverZero and paused its operations to rebuild the platform; as of mid-2026 the companies describe a next-generation reuse system in development rather than a live consumer service. It is the one to watch for a relaunch.
Recirclable is up and running in the Northeast. This Boston-based program works like a library checkout: download the free app, order at a participating restaurant, and you are charged only if you fail to return the container within 14 day. The app has operated for about four years and expanded into Western Massachusetts in December 2025.
Reusables.com is for campuses and institutions. Its Tap-to-Reuse system tags cups and containers with RFID or QR codes and collects them through smart return bins. The company reports return rates near 99% in institutional dining, including 99.6% at Simon Fraser University, and ir raised a $3.6 million in funding. If you eat in a university or corporate cafeteria, this is the model you are most likely to encounter.
Vessel Works has operated since 2015, focusing on managing the flow of reusable cups in cafés in Boulder and Berkeley; it also licenses its system to other operators. On college campuses, Grubhub offers reuse through its partner Topanga. Because universities are where many young people establish lifelong habits, reuse on campuses is an encouraging growth market.
Some cities run their own systems: Ann Arbor, Michigan, for example, supplies the containers and lets restaurants opt in, giving residents a single program to return to.
Availability is still local and shifting, so the reliable move is to check what exists where you live before you order.
What You Can Do
- Look for a reuse option at order time. In Uber Eats or DoorDash, check whether a reusable-container choice appears for restaurants near you; in a served metro, look for a local program like Recirclable; on campus, ask dining services what they run.
- Bring your own container. Many restaurants will fill a clean container you bring for pickup orders — just ask. Carry reusable utensils so you can wave off the plastic set.
- Ask for less. When reuse and BYO are not options, request no bag, skip the utensils, straws, and condiment packets you will not use (usually a single tap in delivery apps), and choose paper over foam.
- Tell restaurants it matters. The reuse companies consistently find that diners will switch restaurants for a reuse option, and operators respond to that demand.
Handle what you do get wisely. Use the Earth911 Recycling Search to confirm what your area accepts, and keep “compostable” or bioplastic containers out of the recycling bin — most require industrial facilities and can contaminate a whole load.
Related Reading
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on July 20, 2022, under the headline “Apps Rate Restaurants for Earth-Friendly Packaging,” was was substantially updated in July 2026.
The post The New Fix for Takeout Packaging Waste: Reusable-Container Networks appeared first on Earth911.
