The Junk Yard Fitness adds compostable straws in South Carolina gyms

The Junk Yard Fitness is rolling out compostable Wave Ware straws from NantBioRenewables in its gym cafés across three Upstate South Carolina locations. The switch is meant to cut single-use plastic waste while matching the gym’s broader wellness brand.

Why it matters: - The partnership links a local fitness brand’s customer experience with a measurable sustainability change. - The switch replaces single-use plastic straws in gym cafés with compostable alternatives. - The move extends environmental stewardship beyond workouts to daily operations across Anderson, Greenville and Mauldin.

What happened: - The Junk Yard Fitness announced a partnership with NantBioRenewables on June 25, 2026. - The gym will introduce Wave Ware compostable straws in its café areas. - The cafés are located in the gym lobbies, where members gather before and after workouts. - The Junk Yard Fitness operates three locations in Upstate South Carolina: Anderson, Greenville and Mauldin.

The details: - Wave Ware straws are made from Ocean Calcium Sand. - NantBioRenewables describes Ocean Calcium Sand as a renewable, biobased, carbon-negative mineral that naturally forms in the ocean. - The straws compost into nutrient-rich material that supports plant growth. - The Junk Yard Fitness serves members ages 16 and up. - The gym focuses on business professionals ages 25 to 40. - The fitness studio uses patented music beat technology in all workouts. - Brown said the company wanted an American manufacturer to reduce waste while maintaining quality. - Brown said the gym had seen a lot of waste from single-use plastics before switching to compostable products. - Brown said Solomon Brown introduced the gym to NantBioRenewables. - Brown said the team reviewed the products and how they were made before choosing the partnership. - The Junk Yard Fitness plans to keep expanding sustainability efforts where applicable. - More information is available on the company's website.

Between the lines: - The partnership fits The Junk Yard Fitness’s brand message of health, community and “an uncommon work ethic into common people's lives.” - Brown framed sustainability as part of the same wellness mindset that drives the gym’s fitness programming. - NantBioRenewables is positioning its products as a practical fit for businesses that want to cut waste without changing the customer experience. - The collaboration also signals that small businesses can use visible operational changes to communicate values to members.

What's next: - The Junk Yard Fitness will use the compostable straws in its gym cafés going forward. - The company is expected to keep looking for sustainability upgrades that do not compromise member experience. - NantBioRenewables said it expects more fitness and wellness businesses to connect sustainability with health.

The bottom line: - The Junk Yard Fitness is turning a small everyday purchase into a public sustainability statement, and it is doing so across all three of its South Carolina locations.