Inner West to roll out reusable coffee cup scheme
Thursday, 23 August 2018
Coffee lovers can rejoice after Council last night voted to support an investigation into a pilot reusable coffee cup scheme in the Inner West.
The pilot, which is based on the successful model pioneered by the German city of Freiburg, aims to recruit cafes across a specific geographic area to participate in a scheme in which reusable cups can be collected or exchanged at any of the participating businesses.
Customers would be able to drop their empty cup at any participating cafe, which will clean and provide another for reuse, so customers don't have to worry about washing and carrying around their own mug.
“Australians use more than three billion disposable single use coffee cups annually,” said Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“A significant amount of energy and resources are used in order to produce and transport disposable coffee cups, only for them to be used once and thrown away.
“These single use cups can be a major source of littering and are difficult to recycle, as they are made from a composite material - paper with a plastic waterproof layer.
“We are currently spending a huge amount of ratepayers’ money taking non-recyclable cups to landfill.
“This is a practical way we can reduce waste, save money and help local cafes meet their customers’ preferences for environmentally sustainable products and services.
“It will take some work, but I think this pilot can see the Inner West lead the way in helping to eliminate disposable coffee cups across Australia,” he added.
Mayor Byrne said there are a range of strategies Council will now be looking at to best implement this initiative across the Inner West, including analysing international approaches to reducing single-use coffee cups.
Council also voted to become a partner in the Responsible Cafes program, a not-for-profit scheme that encourages reusable coffee cup use.
There are now more than 3,600 cafes, councils and universities in the Responsible Cafes program nationwide, with participating cafes saving more than 36 million cups and lids from going into landfill annually.
For further information, please contact John Roper on 0435 963 787.