CARDIFF’S Refill Return Cup scheme has reportedly resulted in more than 2,500 coffee cups being borrowed, and a whopping 97% return rate, just one month after launching.
The city-wide scheme enables customers to use the Refill app to find businesses where they can borrow a reusable cup when purchasing takeaway coffees. Firms are provided with a stock of reusable cups which can be returned to any participating business, no matter where they were borrowed from.
When the customer purchases a drink, the retailer scans the cup and the customer’s personal QR code. Once returned, the cup is scanned, cleaned, and put back into circulation to be re-used.
So far, over 2,500 reusable cups have been borrowed – equivalent to 83 per day. There is no charge for customers to participate, with a small fine charged for cups which aren’t returned.
Supported by FOR Cardiff and City to Sea, the pilot scheme is projected to prevent up to 30,000 single-use cups from entering the waste stream by March 2025.
George Clark, programme lead at City to Sea, said, “It has been a pleasure to support FOR Cardiff and their brilliant businesses to bring the Refill Return Cup to life in the city. When City to Sea piloted the project in Bristol in 2023, we got a good feel for the challenges and motivations of coffee shops in tackling the issue of single-use cups.
“We’re delighted to see that making the scheme free for customers, with a fee for not returning cups, is encouraging both high engagement and an excellent return rate. The impact already being seen in the first month demonstrates how motivated the people and businesses of Cardiff are to tackle plastic pollution.”
Carolyn Brownell, executive director of FOR Cardiff, added, “Seeing the Cardiff Refill Return Cup scheme gain such quick momentum is inspiring. The commitment of Cardiff’s businesses, residents and visitors alike is helping build a more sustainable city one cup at a time.”
Cardiff Business School and Greenwich Business School are evaluating the scheme’s impact, with the goal of creating a blueprint for other cities in the UK to follow.
