BOSTON — June 26, 2025 — USEFULL, a Boston-based startup focused on eliminating plastic from campus dining, has announced a first-of-its-kind “Plastic Buyback Program” aimed at helping colleges and universities replace underperforming plastic reusable container systems with stainless steel alternatives.
The initiative targets a well-known but often unspoken challenge in campus dining sustainability: plastic reuse programs that fail to deliver. While many institutions introduced plastic-based takeout systems with sustainability goals in mind, high loss rates, health concerns, and mounting replacement costs have plagued those efforts. In response, USEFULL’s buyback program offers a way out.
“We created the Buyback Program to remove the final barrier for schools that want to improve their approach to reuse but feel stuck with plastic,” said Alison Cove, founder and CEO of USEFULL. “This is about more than offloading and recycling outdated containers. It’s about launching a safe, responsible, and effective system.”
A Structured Exit from Plastic
USEFULL’s program includes four components:
Campus reuse assessment: USEFULL begins with an evaluation of the school’s existing system to identify pain points and create a tailored roadmap toward transition.
Plastic inventory buyback: The company purchases any remaining plastic containers, allowing institutions to recover sunk costs and reallocate funds.
Responsible recycling: All recovered containers are routed to certified recyclers to reduce landfill impact and address microplastic concerns.
Full program rollout: USEFULL then installs its stainless steel container system, equipped with mobile or campus ID integration, real-time tracking, and environmental impact reporting.
This approach builds on USEFULL’s growing traction in the higher education sector. At the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a previous plastic container program achieved only a 4% return rate. After switching to USEFULL’s system, the return rate jumped to over 99%.
A Reuse Model with Tech at the Core
USEFULL’s solution uses durable stainless steel containers with silicone lids, designed to handle hot meals and withstand repeat use. Their tech-enabled system links with major campus card systems such as CBORD and Transact, allowing students to check out containers with their existing credentials. A tracking platform provides real-time visibility into usage and impact, measuring reductions in landfill waste, water use, and carbon emissions.
For facilities teams and sustainability offices, the reporting capabilities help quantify results and build internal support for reuse investments. For students, the familiar mobile and ID checkout process ensures low friction and ease of adoption.
Health and Environmental Motivation
The buyback program is launching amid rising concern over the long-term health and environmental consequences of plastic. Many legacy reusable systems rely on polycarbonate or polypropylene containers, which are prone to degradation after repeated dishwashing and may release microplastics or other chemical residues over time. For schools under pressure to meet both sustainability targets and student safety expectations, the switch to stainless steel offers a compelling alternative.
USEFULL frames the buyback program not just as an environmental upgrade but as a financial and operational improvement as well. High loss rates in traditional programs lead to recurring costs for container replacement. By contrast, the company argues that higher return rates and increased system durability improve total lifecycle value.
More details on the buyback program are available at: www.usefull.us/plastic-buyback-program.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
