You don’t need to wait for Government regulation to move towards economic and environmental good sense. Here are just some of the practical alternatives you can discuss with your team and implement today. Please bear in mind that this campaign is about asking our government to mandate scalable, accessible, and reusable alternatives. Solutions already exist, but with hospitality industry/business/governmental cooperation and co-creation, more WILL come. The pressure is not on you, but you CAN apply the pressure.
Ditch Single-Use Coffee Cups
Removing throwaway coffee cups, whatever kind of plastic they are lined with, is the easiest place to start. And it is happening already. It will save you money, it will make you look good, it will win you respect, it will make a point of difference, and it will make you feel (in the pit of your stomach) that you are doing the right thing. You are contributing to real positive change in the way our society creates and treats waste. You will be leading the way. And others will follow you, because when one business makes a stand for the environment, it reflects upon others who have not. So, it’s all about make time to stay or choose to reuse…
Extra info about phasing out single-use coffee cups
From discussions with venues that are single use cup/container free, the key to making it a successful transition has four parts:
Talk with your staff first. Having them on board, feeling supported by you, engaged in the reasons why you want to make this change, is vital. Happy staff = happy customers = happy staff = happy planet. Ensure signage is available for them to defer to. They can literally blame the management in the unlikely event that they encounter a… difficult… customer.
Give notice. A sign simply and clearly explaining your reasons, and the time frame involved until you will be either removing all single use packaging or making moves to reduce it (adding a surcharge, not serving single use to dine in etc.) is key to keeping everyone feeling connected. It also takes pressure off staff who can simply point at signage and shrug if they aren’t feeling overly confident on a particular day.
Offer some kind of alternatives (read on). It is worth remembering that all cafes who are single use cup free, report an increase in sales of reusables.
Believe in it and share it. The world of social media is a powerful tool in hospitality and the tide of support for moves like this is growing, in much the same way that images of plastic straws and branded single use cups is diminishing.
If you decide to surcharge for single-use cups rather than getting rid of the throwaways entirely, you could display a sign at the counter letting folks know that from a certain date, there will be an extra cost for using a throwaway cup. Consider donating that surcharge to a local charity, and of course let your customers know that too.
Display a sign letting customers know that you love it when they make time to stay with you, or use their own cups. Just saying it makes a difference.
Offer alternatives: Retail different brands of reusable travel cups of varying price and materials etc. You know your customers. Artisan ceramics or mainstream brands?
Provide a mug library so locals can simply borrow a mug and return it. Have a jam jar library so travellers can take a jar that needn't be returned. Have a ‘Keepcup’ loan system where you take a deposit on specially branded ‘loaners’. Display your mugs behind the counter, on hooks to create a mug wall so customers can choose their own. Whatever you do, have fun with it! Also, asking folks to donate unwanted mugs from home to your mug hoard is a great way of increasing engagement and adding to the personality of your space.
Sell mugs on behalf of your local charity shop, collect coins for them, and let customers know this is happening. This is doubling the good you can do.
Sign up with a cup loan system that can function just fine if it is intended for only your customers to begin with, but also can connect you with a network of other cafes around the country as the systems grow.
Reckon your town/community could go single-use cup free entirely? Wanaka is already onto it with their SUCfree (single-use cup free) campaign - we’re sure they’d love a bit of competition!
Single Use Containers
Encourage and empower customers, through a well-placed sign, to use their own containers for food take outs, or even just a bowl or a plate for the walk back to work.
Surcharge for single use containers and coffee cups. Begin the conversation with signage.
Why not go the next step and loan containers or second hand shop crockery and cutlery?
Retail reusable containers that are applicable for your business. Bento boxes? Tupperware? Tiffins? ‘Keep Cups’ are great for ice-creams etc. Retail cutlery sets are great too.
Single Use Extras
Soy fish - a pump or pour bottle on the counter, and a question at the time the order is placed. Clear signage that explains you do not provide individual soy, wasabi, or ginger, because you are working hard to be a more sustainable business, is an excellent idea.
Sugar sachets - replace these with a sugar bowl or sugar jars etc. Buy in bulk. Save money.
Butter - pre-slice or cube and coldstore in reusable tubs, then pop a lump on the customers plate. Just like the old days.
Napkins - have them available for customers to take, rather than handing them over as cutlery wrapping without asking.
Jam, Vegemite, and sauce sachets etc. - provide jars or pumps at the counter, or create a sauce station. Again, display signage to thank your customers for working with you to protect their planet.
Reuse, Return, Repeat
Citywide and, almost, nationwide systems where we can borrow or swap for trust or a deposit are already in operation all around Aotearoa New Zealand. Cafes are already providing mug libraries and farmer’s markets are loaning plates. This country is not helpless when it comes to good ideas; sensible and ingenuous ideas. Have a look below for some worldwide examples of what a reuse system in Aotearoa New Zealand that covers all takeaway items might look like.
Single use straws are not included in this petition. And we do not engage with bottled water or soft drinks, but there is no reason why you can not introduce initiatives to reduce these and other items. Socially and environmentally sustainable business practices make sense on economic and brand growth levels too.
Single Use Straws
Retail individual or multi-pack reusable straws and enable your customers to take responsibility. Provide the option of reusable straws (glass, bamboo, or steel) in drinks that may require them, like thick smoothies. Alternatively, just have a daily smoothie-moustache competition and avoid the straw altogether. We have mouths! And returning to commonsense is vital in the bigger picture...
Some disabled people require plastic straws to drink, making a ban or restrictions on availability discriminatory. No reusable straw currently offers the same accessibility characteristics as a plastic straw. These issues are discussed in more detail here, here, and here.
So, having a minimal amount of plastic straws available on request or at a self-serve counter is something you may want to consider. Make a policy not to put straws in drinks automatically, but display a sign that kindly welcomes folks to request a straw should they need one.
Big Little Extras
Consider a move away from Tetrapak options for your dairy and non-dairy milks? There are many companies who specialise in returnable glass-bottled milks. Make your own hemp, oat, nut, or seed in house?
Do you have a food share, food bank, or shelter network in your
community who would be able to distribute unsold baking etc. at the end of the day to those who would truly appreciate it so much?
Talk to waste management services in your area. Is there a commercial facility that will take your food scraps for composting?
Is there a local community gardening club in your area who would love your food scraps and used coffee grounds for their compost? Or an animal rescue sanctuary with pigs and chooks who would demolish your food waste and keep it out of landfill?
What about coffee ground dump bags? Do you need that liner? Bin liners too? Can you wash out the bins instead of using plastic liners?
Talk to your coffee supplier about using large refillable and returnable containers for your beans. Many, many roasters offer this service.
Bottled Water
Do not stock bottled water - It is the plastic bag of 2020. Why not put up a sign that welcomes anyone to a refill for their personal water flask. If your local water is heavily chlorinated or tastes bad, think about a water filter- either integrated with the tap system or counter top.
Retail personal water flasks. You know what brand will appeal to your customers, and you can stock more than one brand.
List your cafe with sustainability guides like uyo.co.nz and refillnz.nz - both will get you attention and both can give you a free window sticker, advertising that you are a refill spot. Get folks in the door - refill their water flasks and sell them a slice!
read, learn and then consider what might work for you
These documents give insight into many of the reuse systems happening worldwide, including case studies. Well worth a look - https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/assets/doc/Reuse.pdf . We also recommend this good and easy read to learn about terminology, systems, and benefits of reuse that are happening, or under review, internationally https://rethinkplasticalliance.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/bffp_rpa_reusable_solutions_report.pdf
Resources
For cafes, coffee carts, juice bars, farmers markets, any one on the service side of the counter, the uyo (Use Your Own) cafe guide is loaded with guides and resources to help you reduce your throwaway, single use waste. They are a proactive, not-for-profit organisation who will actively support and promote you. This link takes you to guides and signs aimed at minimising your hospo footprint - https://www.uyo.co.nz/advice
Loan, wholesale, and other useful resources for hospo.
Reuse schemes - cups
Globelet – an Australian based, but Aotearoa New Zealand active, company that specialise in large scale sporting events and festivals etc. They can do one-off or long term, fully-serviced hire agreements, providing tumblers, stemless wine glasses, lidded coffee cups, and reusable water bottles.
Again Again – a deposit/refund scheme using stainless steel takeaway coffee cups. This operates nationwide.
CupCycling - a deposit/refund scheme using Aotearoa New Zealand-made plastic Ideal cups. This operates nationwide.
Huskee Swap – a cup swap scheme for Australian-designed Huskee Cups, which are a composite of plastic and coffee husks (a waste product of coffee milling).
CupClub - based in the UK. Partners with catering companies, facilities management providers, retailers, and brands to serve across in-house cafes, canteens, restaurants, coffee/tea points, self-serve stations, and drink vending machines. Users are able to return cups to drop off points around cities.
Vessel - a company in Berkeley, California, who have created a simple, system to cup swap using double walled steel cups to keep coffee hot. The cups are tracked and have a 24/7 street side return service.
Green Caffeen - Scan, swap, drink, and return. A FREE reusable café cup system for eco-focused cafes and coffee lovers across Australia, where cups travel between cafes.
Reuse Schemes - plates, bowls, cutlery etc.
Reusabowl – a deposit/refund system for reusable plastic bowls, running their pilot scheme in Wellington in 2020!
Yum Jar – got a small to medium sized event or conference coming up in Wellington that needs catering? Get Yum Jar to do it! Lunch made with minimal waste and delivered in glass jars that are washed and reused all over again.
DISHrupt - an initiative of Sustainable Queenstown. You can hire as many stainless steel big plates, small plates cups, items of cutlery, and reusable plastic tumblers as you need for your event in the Queenstown area. As a not-for-profit community initiative, they offer these at a very good price per item!
ReturnR – currently Australian based, this is a deposit/refund system for stainless steel cups and bowls with silicone lids for both. They also work with the national delivery service, Deliveroo, to provide single use plastic waste free home deliveries
Ozzi - a U.S based comprehensive food collection (closed loop) system for replacing disposables that involves 24/7 access to return points.