You are currently working as a catering coordinator for a large food vendor at a corporate office park in Palo Alto, CA. Customers in the cafeteria have started to complain that the disposable
dishware your company provides is wasteful – they want a more sustainable option! Your manger informs you that the disposable dishware products are the best solution – polystyrene. He tells you
that if you can find a better solution that keeps the customers happy, he will listen to your pitch.

Current scenario: You decide that a waste audit on the 4 yard trash dumpster would be a great first step.

The audit reveals: ½ of the bin as disposable dishware, ¼ pre-consumer food waste, and ¼ contaminated kitchen recyclables (dirty steel and glass cans, etc.). Further, there are trace amounts of
rubber bands, plastic gloves, and meat contaminated plastic film. All material was currently mixed together!

What are the other key variables you need in order to build the business case for this new program? What should you get quoted from your waste hauler? What other cost should be considered? Where
else could you find data on the amount of disposable dishware used?