Food Service Ware

Green purchasing guidance for food service ware, including bowls, cups, plates, takeout containers, utensils, deli bags and wraps, cup sleeves, and paper bags.

*Note: Trash bags and can liners are in the cleaning products section.

Required specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the good/services as minimum mandatory requirements. These would not be part of a scored exhibit. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that describes the product or performance requirements.

Food packaging containing intentionally added lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and PFAS are prohibited.
No molded fiber products or grease-resistant wraps may be offered unless it contains 100 ppm or less total fluorine.
Compostable food service ware products must be either:
- Certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) and labeled “compostable”.
- “Composter Approved” (i.e., Appear on the list of Commercially Accepted Items maintained by the Compost Manufacturing Alliance).
Plastic trash bags: A producer of plastic trash bags must meet the following annual minimum postconsumer recycled content percentage on average for the total quantity of plastic trash bags, by weight, that are sold, offered for sale, or distributed in or into Washington by the producer effective:
- Through Dec 31, 2026: No less than 15% postconsumer recycled content plastic by weight.
- Starting Jan 1, 2027: No less than 20% postconsumer recycled content plastic by weight.
Portable container that is designed or intended to be used for cold storage and Food service products that include food containers, plates, clam shell-style containers, and hot and cold beverage cups that are made of expanded polystyrene are prohibited. Food service products do not include: Packaging for raw, uncooked, or butchered meat, fish, poultry, or seafood, vegetables, fruit, or egg cartons.
Expanded polystyrene void filling packaging products, which means loose fill packaging material, also referred to as packing peanuts, is prohibited.
Food service suppliers and operators may not provide plastic straws, which cannot be recycled and do not biodegrade in aquatic ecosystems. Paper straws are acceptable.

Preferred specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the goods/services as preferred specifications to be scored. These would be part of your evaluation. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that is used for evaluation.

State purchasing of recycled-content product. Recycled Content Purchasing Preference Policy (POL-DES-255-00) states, “In establishing environmental requirements and preferences for products that contain recycled materials, agencies shall reference the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (EPA CPGs) as the minimum standards for the state of Washington.”
Statutory Preference for Recycled Content Purchasing. Pursuant to RCW 39.26.255, Enterprise Services is providing a bid preference in the amount of ten percent (10%) per product line item tested to any bidder that provides products that have exceeded one of the recommended content level percentages or the minimum product specification, as designated by the current EPA’s CPG standard. Bidders who seek to obtain the 10 percent (10%) bid preference in Exhibit C-Bid Price must identify the recycled content level of the product or indicate the product meets product specifications in Exhibit C – Bid Price.

Laws, rules, and executive orders

These laws, rules, and executive orders are the basis for these specifications: