More than 2000 disposable cups have been diverted from landfill in six weeks through a new initiative that enables people to borrow a reusable cup from selected Hamilton cafes.
In a move to combat the environmental impact of single-use coffee cups, the Hamilton City Council-supported initiative, ‘Let’s Reuse Hamilton’, is helping cafes across the city to implement their own sustainable cup-lending system.
The initiative – the first of its kind locally, and amongst the first in the country – aims to reduce this unnecessary waste to landfill and inspires people to make a more sustainable choice and do their part to fight the landfill.
Getting behind the initiative is simple – people can either bring their own reusable cup to a participating cafe, or they can borrow one to return later.
Someone who consumes five coffees a week will send 1,300 single use coffee cups to landfill - about 14kg in a year.
The city cafes currently participating are: Kopi Cafe, Rocket Coffee Roasters , Cream Eatery , Sierra Cafe, and Weave Eatery.
All participating cafes have opted into the Again Again system. When customers visit, they can download the Again Again app, scan it at the counter, and borrow a stainless steel cup.
When they’re ready for their next coffee, they return their cup and borrow another one. Cups can be returned to any participating cafe, fostering a community-wide commitment to sustainability.
Some participating cafes have also created their own ‘ugly mug library’ – an eclectic collection of mugs, which customers can borrow from.
Already, the cafes involved have noted an increased sense of climate empowerment amongst customers, and a greater sense of hope for the future.
Council’s Sustainable Resource Recovery Unit Director Tania Hermann said the goal of ‘Let’s Reuse Hamilton’ is to let customers choose reusable cups for their takeaway coffee, instead of relying on single-use disposable cups.
“It’s estimated that New Zealanders go through more than 295 million takeaway coffee cups every year. Most of these cups and their lids will end up in landfill – as the cup’s plastic lining prevents them from being able to be recycled in New Zealand,” said Hermann.
Driven by their belief that every borrowed cup is a step toward a cleaner planet, the Let’s Reuse project team is encouraging locals to get behind the initiative, and help build a more sustainable future, one cup of coffee at a time.
