More than 50 coffee shops in Glasgow will be involved in a trial for a deposit and return scheme for reusable cups.
The three-month trial, understood to include most major coffee chains and a number of independent cafés, will start in January, said Gavin Ellis, director and co-founder at Hubbub.
Speaking at the Foodservice Packaging Association’s environment seminar last week, Ellis said the initiative will help to determine whether collaboration between coffee shops can improve uptake of reusables and reduce reliance on single-use cups. “We believe it will [make a difference],” he explained.
Footprint understands that only one of the UK’s major coffee chains will not be involved in the trial.
Scaled up reuse schemes where packaging can be picked up and dropped off at different locations on the high street are thought to offer the most convenient option for consumers.
Shrewsbury has had a scheme in place for a number of years. Responding to news of the new trial in Glasgow, Shrewsbury Cup director Alison Thomas said: “Lots of cafés [are] stocking our reusable Shrewsbury cups – and several […] have ditched disposables altogether. We’ve shown that deposit return can work.”
The first edition of the European Reuse Barometer, published in September, revealed a “rapidly growing” reuse industry in Europe across sectors including takeaway and retail. Those involved in reusable packaging technology and trials have also been buoyed by how engaged consumers now are: 78% of the reuse systems report return rates above 75%, which demonstrates strong consumer commitment, according to InOff Plastic, which produced the report with Zero Waste Europe (ZWS), Planet Reuse and New European Reuse Alliance (ERA).
Financial incentives like deposit return systems and post-paid deposits are game changers for reusable packaging, explained Lara Beekma Reis, head of advocacy at the New ERA. “They make sustainability easy and appealing for consumers by turning returns into savings,” she added.
Thomas at Shrewsbury Cup said legislation could help create a level playing field and really drive uptake of reusable cups. Currently, disposable cups remain the easiest option, she suggested.
The UK is estimated to use 3.2 billion single-use coffee cups every year (though some NGOs believe the figure could be double that).
The foodservice sector has been running various initiatives to increase collection and recycling of single-use cups but recycling rates remain in single figures. There is widespread support for the introduction of a mandatory takeback scheme for single-use paper cups under extended producer responsibility (EPR). Government estimates suggest such a scheme could increase recycling rates to almost 40%.
Scotland is currently consulting on applying a charge to single-use coffee cups – a policy that it says will reduce consumption of disposables and increase uptake of reusables.
