Mission Goal
5 Billion Bottles
single-use bottles replaced by 2050
2.6%
132M estimated single-use bottles replaced so far
Goal: 5 billion by 2050
Estimated figures as of September 22, 2026
ELIMIN8™ Waste.
Transparently.
HYDR8 is on a mission to replace 1 billion single-use plastic bottles by 2035, divert 8 million pounds of waste by 2030, reach 50 million pounds diverted by 2040 and replace 5 billion single-use bottles by 2050. The figures below are modeled estimates of our progress.
2026 year to date: an estimated 27.2M single-use bottles replaced and 700K lbs of waste diverted.
Goals
By "diverted" we mean our estimate of single-use packaging that did not need to be made or bought because of our programs, not waste collected or recycled.
1 Billion Bottles
13.2%
132M estimated single-use bottles replaced so far
Goal: 1 billion by 2035
8 Million Pounds
42.2%
3.4M estimated lbs diverted so far, all five streams
Goal: 8 million lbs by 2030
50 Million Pounds
6.8%
3.4M estimated lbs diverted so far, all five streams
Goal: 50 million lbs by 2040
2025 at a glance
Estimated impact for calendar 2025, time-weighted by how long each machine was in the field. On September 22, 2026, 3,665 water, 183 sparkling and 377 coffee machines were in the field (some machines serve more than one stream).
-
Water machine-years
3,107
-
Est. bottles replaced
34.3M
-
Est. lbs diverted
886K
-
In the field on September 22, 2026
4,059
How We Divert Waste
Five impact streams across HYDR8, CAFFEIN8 and ELIMIN8™. Each one is estimated from the constants published below.
Streams 1 and 2
- Est. bottles replaced
- 34.3M
- Est. cans replaced
- 448K
- Added in 2025 toward the 1 billion bottle goal
- 3.4%
- Est. lbs diverted
- 864K
HYDR8 point-of-use water and sparkling systems replace single-use plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
Stream 3
- Est. pods replaced
- 1.5M
- Coffee machine-years, stream-weighted
- 322
- Coffee machines in the field on September 22, 2026
- 377
- Est. lbs diverted
- 20K
CAFFEIN8 bean-to-cup and batch-brew coffee machines, and machines that use commercially compostable pods, replace single-serve plastic coffee pods and their lids. Flavia and Lavazza freshpack brewers receive half credit (a HYDR8 estimate), because freshpacks are still single-serve packaging. Machines that brew from commercially compostable pods get full pod credit, even though each cup still uses a pod; commercial composting is not available everywhere.
Streams 4 and 5
- Disposable cases sold
- 429
- Snack cases sold
- 126
- Est. lbs diverted
- 1.5K
ELIMIN8™ commercially compostable cold cups, plates, utensils, straws and containers replace conventional petroleum-based plastic disposables. Paper goods whose usual alternative is also paper, such as napkins and hot cups, are not counted. Snack credit covers commercially compostable snack packs and bulk trail mix in commercially compostable bags, which use less packaging per serving than single-serve bags. Snack figures include bulk trail mix sold under CAFFEIN8; conventional bulk candy is not counted. Commercial composting is not available everywhere.
Streams 1 to 3 are modeled from HYDR8 installation and pick-up records; streams 4 and 5 use HYDR8 sales records. Machines in the field are counted on September 22, 2026; every other figure in this section covers calendar 2025. Machine-years are weighted by stream share. Figures are rounded for display; the data download has the unrounded values.
Transparency
How We Calculate This
Every Stream 1 to 3 figure can be reproduced from the machine-years in our data file and the constants below; Streams 4 and 5 also use per-product case weights from our records.
-
Government sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Census Bureau (SUSB) and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
-
Independent research and industry sources: Gallup, the National Coffee Association, the Aluminum Association, and the Beverage Marketing Corporation for the International Bottled Water Association.
-
HYDR8 estimates and assumptions, each marked below, include: 17 people per machine, the bottle cap and ring weight, the single-serve pod weight, 1.5 cups of coffee per person per day, 75% pod-system use, the 50% Flavia and Lavazza freshpack credit, the 50% compostable weight factor, 1 lb of shipping packaging per case, the 10% snack packaging share and the 3g snack bag, the half splits for combined still and sparkling machines and for keg dispensers, and the 2017 to 2019 estimated machine-years.
Machine formulas use machine-years.
A machine-year is one machine in the field for a full year, so a machine installed July 1 counts as about half a machine-year for that year. We build machine-years from our installation and pick-up records, counting weekdays only: a machine counts from the day it is installed until the day it is picked up, and counts again if it is installed again later. The current year counts only the weekdays that have passed so far.
Stream 1: Bottles Formula
| Constant | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bottles per person per day | 2.6 | CDC NHANES 2015 to 2018: average plain water intake of 44 oz a day, about 2.6 half-liter bottles |
| People per machine | 17 | HYDR8 assumption based on the Census Bureau's SUSB 2019 average of 16.71 employees per business location |
| Business days per year | 250 | About 250: 260 weekdays less federal holidays (OPM) |
| Bottle weight | 11.25g | 9.25g average half-liter (16.9 oz) single-serve PET water bottle (Beverage Marketing Corporation for the International Bottled Water Association, 2014). The source does not say whether its figure includes the cap; we add about 2g for the cap and ring (HYDR8 estimate). 11.25g = 0.0248 lbs |
| Estimated machine-years, 2017 to 2019 | 100 / 150 / 200 | HYDR8 estimates. HYDR8 began operating in April 2017. |
Key assumption: the CDC average is a whole-day figure that includes tap, fountain and at-home water. The model credits all of it to the HYDR8 machine at work on every business day and treats it as replacing single-use half-liter bottles (see "What We Leave Out, and What We Assume" below).
Bottles/day per machine = 17 people × 2.6 = 44.2
Bottles = machine-years × 44.2 × 250 days
Lbs = machine-years × 44.2 bottles/day × 250 days × 0.0248 lbs
Stream 2: Cans Formula
| Constant | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Daily soda or sparkling drinkers | 50% | Gallup 2012: 48% of U.S. adults drink soda daily, rounded to 50% and applied to soda and sparkling water together (HYDR8 assumption) |
| Cans per drinker per day | 2.5 | Gallup 2012: daily soda drinkers averaged 2.6 glasses, rounded down; each glass counted as one 12 oz can (HYDR8 assumption) |
| Can weight | 12.99g | 12.99g average across can sizes (Aluminum Association 2021 can life-cycle assessment summary); 12.99g = 0.0286 lbs |
Machines that pour both still and sparkling water count half here and half in Stream 1, and keg dispensers count half here and half in Stream 3 (both HYDR8 estimates).
Cans/day per machine = 17 people × 50% × 2.5 = 21.25
Lbs = machine-years × 21.25 cans/day × 250 days × 0.0286 lbs
Stream 3: Pods Formula
| Constant | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cups of coffee per person per day | 1.5 | HYDR8 estimate informed by National Coffee Association data |
| Offices using pod brewers | 75% | HYDR8 estimate |
| Single-serve pod packaging weight | 6g | HYDR8 estimate: plastic cup, lid and filter of a single-serve pod (6g = 0.0132 lbs); coffee grounds not counted |
| Flavia and Lavazza freshpack credit | 50% | HYDR8 estimate (see note below) |
The 50% credit for Flavia and Lavazza freshpack brewers is a HYDR8 estimate: freshpacks are still single-serve packaging, so these machines count at half weight in this stream. Machines that brew from commercially compostable pods get full pod credit, even though each cup still uses a pod; commercial composting is not available everywhere. Keg dispensers count half here and half in Stream 2.
Pods/day per machine = 1.5 cups × 17 people × 75% = 19.125
Lbs = machine-years × 19.125 pods/day × 250 days × 0.0132 lbs
Streams 4 & 5: Disposables & Snacks
We assume commercially compostable alternatives weigh more than conventional plastic (thicker walls, plant-based materials). To estimate how much plastic was not manufactured:
Disposables = (Cases × Case weight × 0.50) − (Cases × 1 lb packaging)
The 50% factor is a HYDR8 estimate: conventional PS foam, PET and PP disposables weigh roughly half as much as their commercially compostable bagasse or PLA equivalents. The 1 lb shipping-packaging deduction per case is also a HYDR8 estimate. Case weights come from our product records.
Stream 4 counts PLA cold cups and lids, fiber plates, bowls and containers, compostable utensils, PLA straws and wood stirrers. Paper products whose conventional alternative is also paper (napkins, paper towels, facial and bath tissue, cup sleeves and paper hot cups) are not counted.
Snacks count packaging only, never the food. The 10% packaging share (a HYDR8 estimate) applies only to commercially compostable snack packs (Method A), whose packaging is taken as 10% of case weight and credited at 50%. Commercially compostable bulk bags (Method B), including bulk trail mix sold under CAFFEIN8, are credited with one 3g single-serve bag (a HYDR8 estimate), never made, for each 1 oz of product. Conventional bulk candy is not counted.
Sales volumes come from HYDR8 sales records.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fast Facts: Data on Water Consumption (NHANES 2015 to 2018).
- U.S. Census Bureau, Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB), 2019 data.
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays.
- Beverage Marketing Corporation, analysis for the International Bottled Water Association (2014): average 16.9 oz single-serve PET water bottle, 9.25 grams.
- Gallup, Nearly Half of Americans Drink Soda Daily (July 2012).
- The Aluminum Association, Aluminum Can Life Cycle Assessment Report Overview (2021, PDF).
- National Coffee Association, National Coffee Data Trends.
What We Leave Out, and What We Assume
What we leave out. We count the bottle, its cap and tamper ring, and leave out paper labels, shrink-wrap and multi-pack film, delivery truck emissions, weekend and holiday use, and any change in habits at home.
What we assume. We assume 17 people per machine, a HYDR8 assumption based on the Census Bureau's 2019 average of 16.71 employees per business location; the true figure may be higher or lower. The model credits all 17 people on every business day, with no allowance for remote or hybrid work, time off, the 2020 to 2021 office closures or school calendars; if average attendance were 90%, the bottle, can and pod figures would be about 10% lower.
It credits each person's full daily plain-water intake (the CDC's 44 oz, which includes water drunk at home) to the HYDR8 machine at work, and treats every serving as replacing a single-use bottle, can or pod. In practice, some would otherwise have come from a tap, a fountain, a five-gallon jug cooler or a reusable cup.
The same office assumptions are applied to machines in schools and hospitals and to wall-mounted units, and some wall units replaced drinking fountains rather than bottles. These are gross figures: we do not subtract the filters, CO2 cylinders, coffee bean bags or service trips our machines need.
The exclusions push our figures down; the intake, attendance and site assumptions and the gross totals push them up. We publish both so you can judge the balance. These are modeled estimates, not audited figures.
The data
The data behind this page
Download the yearly totals behind the figures above: machine-years, bottles, cans, pods and pounds for each year and stream, with the constants and method notes. Or read the full write-up of how we measure it.
Cumulative totals since 2017, as of September 22, 2026: about 132M single-use bottles replaced and about 3.4M lbs diverted, all five streams (model output, not a measured count). The unrounded values are in the data download.