Five Turtle Quick Guide

Note on Recycling and Composting

We score items based on the likelihood that they are accepted for recycling or compost collection, as well as if they will actually be recycled into new products or turned into compost. For example, though some recyclers accept different types of plastic products, only #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jugs are widely collected and have a reasonable chance of getting recycled into another product.

We currently base our scoring on general availability of programs across the US, but we plan to integrate local adjustments in the future.

PlasticScore Rating System

Our rating is based on reviews of dine-in and takeout experiences by our users. Our users are guided through a series of questions such as how many single-use items they received, what are the items made of, and whether they had the option to compost or recycle. From there, we calculate a score based on these answers, rather than the user leaving a subjective rating.

The Breakdown

• The PlasticScore for a business is the average of all their reviews.

• Each business will have a separate PlasticScore for dine-in and takeout experiences.

• The only way to receive a perfect score is for no single-use items to be given out.

• Each experience score is broken down into two main categories, Food and Drinks.

  • If you only have either Food or Drinks from the restaurant, the total score will be equal to that category score.

  • If you have both Food and Drinks, these are weighted at 60% and 40%, respectively.

• The items in each category are scored between one and five based on the following factors:

You can find the base rating for every material and disposal option through our interactive table. For each item the restaurant provides, the material of that item is rated on the following four categories:

• Production Impact (44%)

  • This encompasses the climate change and resource impacts of producing the materials

  • If the item is single-use without any recycled content it will score 1.0 / 5.0

  • If an item material contains recycled content it will score 3.0 / 5.0

  • Only reusable items will score 5.0 / 5.0

• In the Environment (14%)

  • This aspect covers the impacts to wildlife, oceans, and the natural environment if a material ends up as litter

  • Items which are a hazard to wildlife, and leave microplastics and other chemicals in the environment score poorly

  • Materials that break down easily into non-toxic components score highly

  • Reusable items score 5.0 / 5.0 because they are far less likely to end up in the environment since they are kept to be used over and over again

• Human Health (14%)

  • This considers chemicals of concern such as styrene, PFAs, phthalates, among others which can be transferred to food.

  • It also covers the contribution of microplastics to the environment which ends up entering our food and water supply

• Disposal (28%)

  • This component of the score is adjusted based on the disposal practices of the restaurant or availability of disposal methods in the area.

  • For Dine-In experiences, this is based on if the item actually goes into the proper recycling or compost bin.

  • For Takeout/Delivery experiences, the score is based on the general availability of the proper disposal method in that area.

Item Adjustments

• The material scores are factored into scores for each type of item. Item scores are adjusted along a 1-5 scale based on the materials which are available for that item category.

  • For example, since there aren't any polystyrene foam straws (thankfully), the score for plastic straws will be adjusted down to be the lowest score in that category.

• If a customer's experience only consists of small items (wraps, liners, etc.) for the main food and drink category. Then these material scores are adjusted to be on a scale from 3.5 - 5.

Extras Adjustments

• Certain items are classified as Extras. These are items that aren’t necessary for a meal, or which a customer may have their own, such as napkins, utensils, and bags.

• If extra items aren't received by a customer, it is given a score of 5.

• If extras items are received by a customer, but it was provided self serve / by request only, the item score is adjusted to be on a scale from 3.5 - 5.

  • For example, a plastic straw received by a customer, but provided by request would receive a score of 3.5.

• If extras items are received by a customer, and it was received automatically, the item score is adjusted to be on a scale from 1 - 3.5.

  • For example, a plastic straw given automatically to a customer would receive a score of 1.

Food and Drinks

• Food Category

  • Food Items (65% of score)

    • This includes items typically required for a meal such as bowls, boxes, containers, wraps, and sauce cups.

    • The only way to get a perfect five for Food Items is if you received no single-use items at all.

    • If there were single-use items, the score is based on the average of the individual item scores, and weighted by the amount and size of the items given.

    • If there are only smaller items - such as wraps and basket liners - the score is given a boost.

  • Food Extras (35% of score)

    • This includes items that aren’t necessary for a meal, or which a customer may have their own, such as napkins, utensils, and bags.

    • The only way to get a perfect five for Food Extras is if you received no single-use items at all.

    • A higher score is given when an item is served only at the customer’s request rather than being given automatically.

• Drinks Category

  • Drink Items (65% of score)

    • This includes items typically required for a drink such as cups, cans, and bottles.

    • The only way to get a perfect five for Drinks Items is if you received no single-use items at all.

    • If there were single-use items, the score is based on the average of the individual item scores, and weighted by the amount and size of the items given.

  • Drink Extras (35% of score)

    • This includes items that aren’t necessary for a drink, or which a customer may have their own, such as straws, stir sticks, and drink napkins.

    • The only way to get a perfect five for Drinks Extras is if you received no single-use items at all.

    • A higher score is given when an item is served only at the customer’s request rather than being given automatically.

• While mostly the same, there are some differences between dine-in and takeout scoring

  • Certain items that are more necessary for takeout, such as cup lids, are considered extras for dine-in, but not for takeout

  • Dine-in items are scored based on where they ended up. For example, did the compostable plate actually go into the compost at the restaurant.

  • Takeout items that can be recycled or composted are scored based on the general availability of recycling and composting programs for those items across the US and the likelihood they will actually be turned into new products. We plan to integrate local scoring adjustments in the future.

We understand that no rating system is perfect, and we’re always working on improving our scoring methodology. If you have any comments or questions please contact us!