Cafes sign up to new reuseable cups scheme

A pilot reusable cup scheme is being launched today (Wednesday) in a bid to tackle single-use cup waste and littering.

Five Forth Valley cafés have signed up to the environmentally-friendly trial initiative, which will see 4000 reusable cups distributed to customers free of charge.

Launched by Forth Valley Food and Drink, from today customers at The Station Café (Aberfoyle), St Mocha (Balmaha and Carbeth), Brig o’turk Tearoom and The Broch Café (Strathyre), will be able to pick up their favourite hot beverage in a complimentary reusable cup with the option to return it after use to be cleaned and reused by other customers, or to keep it for future use at any café accepting reusable cups.

The initiative, supported by Forth Valley and Lomond Local Action Group’s Climate Nudge Fund, has the potential to stop more than 200,000 single-use cups from being sent to local landfill sites annually.

Forth Valley Food and Drink Network coordinator Carolyn Mcgill said: “Thanks to the Climate Nudge fund we’ve been able to supply five local cafés with a batch of reusable cups equivalent to the number of single-use cups they would go through in a week.

“Switching away from disposable to reusable containers is one of the simplest ways we can help the planet and although it might seem like a minor change, it can make an enormous difference.”

Zero Waste Scotland estimates that a staggering 200 million single-use coffee cups are thrown away in Scotland each year.

Carolyn added: “We want to make it easy and convenient for people to choose to reuse, so we’ve done away with the cup deposit charges normally associated with this type of scheme.

“By making reusable cups available completely free of charge, we hope the scheme will lead to a big drop in single-use cup waste and littering this summer.”

The pilot comes as the Scottish Government plans a mandatory charge for single-use coffee cups and containers to cut down on waste.

One of the first businesses to join the scheme is Loch Lomond Coffee Company, which would normally go through over 3000 compostable cups a week across its three coffee shops in Aberfoyle (Station Café), Balmaha and Carbeth.

Owner Stuart Fraser said: “Many of our customers already carry a reusable cup with them, but this pilot will massively accelerate our race to net zero alongside other green measures such as using coffee grounds to run our biomass heating and solar charged electric vehicles to make our deliveries.

“There will be no charge for the cups and if customers reuse them at any of our outlets, they’ll also receive a 25p discount off their next coffee with us.”