Seattle Farmers Market Reuse Program
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
From June 10th to October 9th, 2025, Perennial Zero Waste and Seattle Public Utilities provided reusable dishware at 60 farmers market events across Seattle.
With funding from Seattle Public Utilities, the Perennial team managed on-site operations and program logistics for Wallingford, Queen Anne, Phinney, and U-District Farmers Markets. The support of market managers empowered hot food vendors to participate in the program, and together we were able to minimize the average loss rate of dishes to less than 1%.
By the Numbers
Vendors replaced up to 68% of their single-use serviceware in each market with reusable alternatives provided by SPU and Perennial. The Perennial team observed that vendors who participate in reuse across many markets tend to use a higher volume of reusable dishware per market than vendors who participate in only one market that offers the program. Therefore, continuing to expand and streamline this program across many markets is something to strive for in the 2026 season.
Farmers Market Name | Market Days Utilizing Reuse | Average Number of Vendors per Market | Total Dishes Used | Average # of Reusables Used per Market | Average Inventory Loss Rate per Market |
Wallingford | 16 | 8 | 8,742 | 546 | 0.71% |
Queen Anne | 12 | 15 | 5,084 | 424 | 1.715% |
Phinney | 16 | 5 | 2,388 | 149 | 0.73% |
U-District | 16 | 7 | 2,859 | 179 | 0.73% |
Totals | 60 | 9 | 19,073 | 324 | 0.97% |
The impact noted above is because of the following participating vendors:
Vespucci Pizza
Patty Pan Cooperative
Geni's Ethiopian Corner
Bluebird Ice Cream
El Chito Tamales
Loumpia
Falafel Salam Co.
Kathmandu Momocha
Kottu
Galileo's Pizzeria
Hellenika Cultured Creamery
Nature's Last Stand
Lily's Salvadorean Catering
Bumbu Truck
Paparepas
L'Italiano
Sam Choy's Pole to the Max
Taqueria Los Chilangos
Blinchiki
Green Steamer
Sam's Crab Mac & Cheese
Café Lolo
Eva's Wild