Reusable Dishware Program Piloted Across Stanford Campus

When Earth Systems Science PhD student and Living Laboratory Fellow Anna Gomes started in her PhD program, she was immediately troubled by the lack of dishware in communal eating spaces. Seeing a prioritization of shifting from single-use plates and utensils to compostables, she questioned- “has anyone tried to put real plates and utensils in the kitchens?”

This thought bloomed into her current work as a Sustainable Stanford Living Lab Fellow, where her reusable dish program has been piloted in five kitchens across the Green Earth Sciences Building and Y2E2. Collecting over 500 donated dishes from Stanford’s annual Give & Go events, the program includes two parts: implementation and maintenance. Stocking communal kitchens with reusable dishware, the program’s success has not only reduced use of single-use plastics and compostables, but has also helped cultivate community.

“People are in the kitchen using the dishes together now. We rely on each other to put things away. Someone washes the dishes, someone puts them away later when they’re dry…It’s very communal, a shared space to meet and interact,” says Gomes. 

“People are in the kitchen using the dishes together now. We rely on each other to put things away. Someone washes the dishes, someone puts them away later when they’re dry…It’s very communal, a shared space to meet and interact” -Anna Gomes

As a soil scientist, Gomes is intimately familiar with the ways human health interacts with the environment, fueling her passion for the project. “[There’s] lots of research done on the human health concerns with microwaving plastics, so [that’s] a big motivation for eating lunch on real plates. Compost has been found as the largest source of plastics coming into cropland. So as a soil scientist, I think reuse of real dishes is the best solution.”

In expanding the program, Gomes hopes to implement it in all buildings across campus where students and faculty have kitchens in use. Those interested in donating reusable dishware or participating in the program can contact Anna Gomes at amgomes@stanford.edu.