Cardiff’s trial of a return cup programme has saved around 3,000 single-use cups so far with 15 cafes taking part
Fifteen Cardiff cafes taking part in a new reusable cup scheme have already saved over 3,000 single-use cups, since the scheme launched in October.
This is equivalent to over 39kg of plastic, says City to Sea programme lead George Clark.
This is 10% of its target to save 30,000 single-use cups and help reduce the 2.5 million cups disposed of annually in the UK during the pilot scheme, which lasts until March 2025.
For Cardiff, the city’s Business Improvement District has partnered with the Bristol-based City to Sea charity that runs the scheme to reduce single-use takeaway containers by providing people with reusable on-the-go options. Cardiff is the first city in Wales to try the initiative.
For Cardiff received £90,000 from the UK government’s shared prosperity fund to launch the pilot scheme.
According to 2024 Reloop and Eunomia research institutes, Wales ranks second in the world for domestic recycling and aspires to become a net-zero nation by 2050.
The scheme has been in place for over a month and has seen varying success according to cafe workers.
The store manager at Da Coffi in One Central Square, who didn’t want to be named, says they have saved nearly 2,000 single-use cups so far. “I haven’t brought any takeaway cups since the initiative rolled out, and normally I was ordering nearly every week,” she said.
However, Charlotte Coombe, 25, store manager at Waterloo Tea in the Wyndham Arcade, says only 16 cups have been borrowed at their site. “We get a lot of tourists and shoppers that don’t want to carry a cup around all day,” she said.
Coombe thinks the scheme would be more effective in residential areas and offices, but hopes it will help save some single-use cups during their busiest time of year, Christmas.
An app created by the charity as part of their Refill campaign, which encourages customers to bring reusable cups and water bottles to cafes, provides users with a map of all participating sites.
