#CupCupandAway - CUP REUSE TRIAL AT GATWICK AIRPORT

For many of us, takeaway coffee is a regular feature of daily life – but there is increasing concern about the negative impact these disposable coffee cups have on our environment.

The UK alone goes through over 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups every year, and the combination of plastic, paper and food contamination means that less than 1% end up being recycled.

Most plastics don’t break down for centuries or longer, and with millions of coffee cups being thrown away each day, they are forming a significant part of the UK’s plastic waste problem. 

TSIP are delighted to be working with the environmental charity Hubbub as part of their #CupCupandAway re-use trial being run with Starbucks and Gatwick Airport. The trial sees Starbucks’ customers in the South Terminal being given the option to borrow a reusable cup for their drink instead of a disposable cup. They can then drop off the cup at a ‘Cup Check-In’ point located throughout the terminal before boarding their flight. The cups will then be washed and sterilised ready for the next customer.

The trial aims to see how customers respond where the option of reusable cup is made more convenient, with the ultimate goal of reducing the number of disposable cups that are being handed out and making their way into the waste stream.

TSIP are helping the Hubbub team monitor how well the trial runs, explore customer perceptions and see where there are lessons that can be learnt for running similar re-use programmes in other settings.