Fremont Unified is one of the largest school districts in Alameda County, serving roughly 10,000 lunches a day. Like many districts, FUSD had been using disposable trays and cutlery for years — generating enormous amounts of waste and exposing students to materials of concern. The district's fiber-based trays and plates tested high for fluorine, an indicator of PFAS chemicals commonly found in disposable food service ware.
With no on-site dishwashing equipment at most schools, a district this size faced real logistical hurdles: 29 elementary campuses spread across a large geographic area, no dish machines, and limited staff capacity for washing.
FUSD's Nutrition Director, Johannes Van Der Pool, set a bold goal: transition all 29 elementary schools to stainless steel reusables within 10 years, starting with a pilot at five K-5 schools in 2023 and expanding to ten schools in the first year.
StopWaste awarded FUSD a $50,000 Reusable Foodware Cafeteria Grant to cover the cost of off-site dishwashing services for the initial pilot schools. The district purchased stainless steel trays and utensils through additional funding from Plastic Free Restaurants and the City of Fremont.
To solve the dishwashing challenge without installing equipment at every school, FUSD contracted with DishJoy, an off-site dishwashing service. DishJoy picks up dirty foodware and delivers clean sets on a daily cycle — typically in the evening when students aren't on campus. At approximately $0.40 per meal, the service removes the biggest barrier for schools that lack dishwashing infrastructure.
The district also replaced individual condiment packets with bulk dispensers, eliminating a significant source of plastic waste and contamination in recycling and compost streams.
