94% of consumers are still not actively engaging with reusables, the direct ownership model has had limited success in the UK. Returnable is more ‘to hand’, convenient and in touch with consumer needs. If you won’t bring a cup, we already have one for you.
Paying ‘at point of use’ for these circular cups has limitations, as businesses move away from cash and would need to pay card transactions each time a circular cup is paid for and returned. That’s why we launched the scheme on a Cup Club basis.
The key to the scheme is that the cups are returned. We don’t want people taking them home only to forget to bring the, the next time they need a take away drink.
These cups can be used more than 500 times so to make it work, keeping them on the circular cup loop is key.
From research we’ve found the best way for this to work is for users to become members of our Cheshire Cup Club Scheme. Members pay £2 50 to Eco Communities to join the scheme. We own the cups. Cafes & businesses become members of the circular cup scheme paying a monthly membership fee (it is free to businesses during the trial period)
- During the trial – you save money for each reusable cup you encourage your customer to use.
- We both create a new way for people in Chester to enjoy a take away coffee with no waste.
Win Win
What do my team need to do?
- If someone is having a takeaway coffee think about the cost saving and saving the planet.
- See if you can encourage them to join cup club.
- They scan the QR code on the flyer and join. Then you can provide the coffee in one of our Cheshire Cups.
- If they decline or you are just too busy, see if they will take a leaflet.
- Try to display our scheme information somewhere within the business.
- Want us to speak to your team, then just ask.
We have the cups but we really need your help to encourage people to make the switch.
Circular and Co Cup Background Info:
- The cups are made from recycled plastic and can be returned to Circular & Co at end of life (after more than 500 washes) for recycling.
- These are 10 x less CO2e than a single use cup. This takes account of manufacture, shipping and in house washing.
- Circular & Co are looking at circular design, so the cups are used and re-used and then made into more cups…
- These cups are the first batch of this cup, which came by sea in a container from China. Ours are the first to be engraved in the UK. Many came from China already engraved.
Circular & Co are setting themselves up to make the cups in the UK going forward so we only bought a small batch of 1,000 units to start with for the trial.
Single Use Cup Info:
At the moment less than 1% of single use plastic lined cups are recycled, we have one plant in the UK that does take them from some of the big chains.
Almost no compostable cups are composted. Compostable cups need to be heat composted and almost all these plants in the UK have closed.
All street litter bins in Cheshire West go for incineration. So even if a single use cup gets into the bin and not the environment in Chester it is being incinerated. This is a debate we regularly have with the council.
Conclusion
Reusables are the only answer, creating circularity not waste has to be the way forward which I know you will completely understand. This is the basis of what Circular & Co are driven by and why we are excited to be a small part of its reusable coffee cup project. We hope you will embrase the scheme and help us to make this something bigger than just Chester.
I am not part of the scheme but would like to be?
Sustainable Cheshire 