Single-use sticking around
As a reusable coffee cup fad sweeps the nation, cafe owners doubt the end is near for the single-use cups – even if they’d like to say goodbye to them.
In New Plymouth, the city so obsessed with coffee it has five coffee roasters, cafes are increasingly offering discounts to people who bring their own cup, as well as providing alternatives to single use takeaway cups. But it’s not catching on.
The Dept. Cafe owner Lizzie Stachurski said she’d love to see the end of single-use cups just as plastic bags and plastic straws were being phased out.
‘‘It would be great if that was the way of the future,’’ Stachurski said. ‘‘I personally think it will take a bit of time.’’
She said if she dropped singleuse cups tomorrow she would lose customers.
‘‘Coffee is a convenience, people want a coffee quickly.’’
Emmalou Macaron and Coffee House co-owner Matt Cotteret has many environmentally friendly options in place, including second-hand mugs. But Cotteret doesn’t judge if customers take a single-use one.
‘‘I’m letting people know there is an option, to do something for the environment. If people want to take the mug and change habits then it’s a plus.’’
He said around 20 per cent of takeaway coffees were served in reusable cups.
But he can’t see an end to singleuse cups anytime soon. ‘‘I think they’ll always be around.’’
Escape Coffee co-owner Logan Gieni sells a couple of hundred coffees a day and said half of those went out the door in a reusable cup. But he’s been working on that for seven years.
‘‘We’ve got it down,’’ Gieni said. ‘‘People are becoming more aware.’’
He has a ‘‘cup library’’ full of mugs bought from op shops for people to borrow, or not return, and sells reusable cups too.
Gieni is happy with the results, but would love to see the single-use cups drop to 20 per cent. However, he knows the single-use cups are convenient for some.
‘‘The problem with Keep Cups, people forget to bring them back.
‘‘And the effort of having to clean your cup and bring it with you, it’s big for some people.’’