UWE students lead Bristol-first scheme to cut thousands of disposable coffee cups
The first-of-its-kind trial, launched across six locations at the university's Frenchay Campus, allows customers to borrow a reusable cup when purchasing a hot or cold drink and return it to dedicated collection points when finished.
According to research by SOS-UK, universities responding to a national survey reported using up to 400,000 disposable cups each year through university-run coffee outlets. The most commonly reported barrier to tackling this was the cost associated with specialised recycling of disposable cups as well as preventing them from being contaminated with other materials.
Jo Dainton, Head of Circular Economy at UWE Bristol, said: "As a university committed to sustainability and innovation, we're excited to see how this trial can help shape future solutions here in Bristol and beyond.”
At UWE, disposable coffee cups are a key item seen in general waste across campus, making the lendable scheme a huge boon to reducing waste and supporting sustainability goals. The year-long trial offers purple re-usable cups for hot and cold drinks purchased at outlets across campus, including brands such as Costa Coffee, Subway and Students’ Union Bar.
SUEZ, UWE Bristol’s waste and recycling contractor, collects the cups from the dedicated purple bins across campus before sending them to Re-Uz for professional cleaning before they are returned to the on-site shops for re-use, creating a closed loop system which can reduce carbon emissions by up to 30% compared to single-use paper cups after just two uses.
Samantha Oakley, Key Account Manager for SUEZ in the UK, said: "Disposable cups are a common item found in waste streams across the UK and this project shows how universities can make re-use simple and accessible. By collecting, washing and redistributing cups through a closed-loop system, valuable materials are being kept in use for longer while reducing waste and carbon emissions."
The scheme, delivered in collaboration with Ecosurety and Hubbub, will collect usage data throughout with findings used to provide a blueprint for other universities, workplaces and public venues across Bristol and beyond.
Richard Marriott, Head of Reuse at Ecosurety, said: "For too long, reuse has often been presented as the harder option. We wanted to flip that on its head and make reuse the easiest choice people can make and that's exactly what we're testing with Lendable."