How many utensils do US event goers throw away?

Every year, millions of fans head to festivals, concerts, and ballgames, and almost all attendees eat something. That food comes with forks, spoons, plates, and trays that are used for a few minutes before it becomes trash. Here's how big that pile is, which festivals now require compostable tableware, and what to look for if you're a caterer or food vendor stocking up for event season.

How many disposable utensils do US events use each year?

Birchware estimates that US music festivals, concerts, and sporting events use about 125 million disposable utensils and about 280 million plates, trays, and bowls every year. The realistic range is roughly half to double those numbers.

How much waste do festivals create overall?

Utensils and plates are just one part of a much bigger pile. In 2019, before the pandemic, U.S. music festivals produced an estimated 53,000 tons of waste, roughly the weight of 450 blue whales. Coachella alone is reported to generate about 106 tons of waste per day.

Compared to everyday life, events are a small slice of the problem: an estimated 40 billion single-use plastic utensils are discarded every year in the United States. But festivals and stadiums are where the rules are changing fastest, and where vendors feel it first.

Which festivals require compostable disposables?

More and more festivals require food vendors to use compostable plates and utensils:

• Outside Lands (San Francisco): The festival uses only 100% compostable single-use products. In 2025, it kept 89% of its waste out of landfills, more than 330,000 pounds of material.
• BottleRock (Napa): The festival uses BPI certified compostable or plant fiber serviceware, all of which can be composted at Napa Recycling and Waste Management.
• Bonnaroo (Tennessee): Food vendors are limited to compostable plates and utensils. Because everything is compostable, fans can toss uneaten fries or pizza crusts right in with the plate.
• Planet Bluegrass festivals, including Telluride Bluegrass (Colorado): Vendors must use compostable serving ware, and single-use plastics are banned on festival grounds.

Cities are setting rules too. Seattle requires event food vendors to use compostable packaging for food. In unincorporated Napa County, takeout disposable foodware must be natural-fiber compostable, with no bioplastics allowed, and the rules cover mobile food facilities, temporary food facilities, and caterers.

Does "compostable" always mean accepted?

No, and this is where many vendors get caught. Most commercial composters across California remove compostable plastic, including BPI-certified compostable plastic and PLA-lined cups, and send it to landfill, because it contaminates finished compost used on farmland.

That's why some cities draw the line at the material itself. The City of Dublin, CA, for example, bans plastic and compostable plastic utensils at its events, while accepting wooden utensils.

The takeaway for vendors: a "compostable" label isn't enough. What matters is whether the utensil will actually break down where it ends up.

Why is Birchware the best choice for event utensils?

Birchware is 100% wood, so it composts anywhere. Commercial facilities, municipal green bins, backyard piles: wherever wood breaks down, birchwood breaks down. There's no plastic resin for a composter to screen out, which is why wood is accepted in places that turn compostable plastic away, and why it stays ahead of California's tightening rules on bioplastics.

One order works everywhere you vend. Rules change from city to city and festival to festival. If you work events in more than one place, birchwood utensils mean you don't have to stock different products for different rulebooks. Birchware is recognized as compliant by California municipalities including Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, Laguna Beach, San Mateo County, and Beverly Hills, and is listed with the Compost Manufacturing Alliance.

Certified, not just claimed. Birchware utensils are FSC certified and USDA Certified Biobased at 95%.

Family owned, with delivery built around your events. Birchware was founded in 2009. As a family business, and when you order from us, you work directly with the owners, who personally make sure your delivery arrives. Festival season comes with tight windows and changing headcounts, so our deliveries are 100% customizable:

• Pre-season scheduling, so your stock is in place before the gates open
• Split shipments across events, so each festival or venue gets exactly what it needs
• Flexible quantities, so your order can adjust as headcounts change

Frequently asked questions

Are wooden utensils allowed at zero-waste festivals?
Yes. Wooden utensils are accepted wherever event rules name specific materials, including cities that ban compostable plastic.

Can birchwood utensils go in home compost?
Yes. Birchwood is natural wood, so it breaks down in backyard compost as well as commercial and municipal composting.

Is PLA cutlery compostable in California?
It's often labeled compostable, but most California commercial composters remove it and send it to landfill. Check with the festival and local hauler before you order.

Do I need to check rules for each event?
Yes. Requirements depend on both the festival and the city or county where it's held. Ask the organizer for the accepted serviceware list before you buy.

Can Birchware deliver to multiple events?
Yes. Deliveries are fully customizable, including split shipments to different events and pre-season scheduling, and every order is handled directly by the owners.

Ready to stock up for event season? Get in touch with Birchware about wholesale, to plan quantities and delivery for your next festival.