Bristol is breaking up with single-use

Something’s brewing…Bristol now has a returnable cup scheme!

Launched on World Refill Day earlier this month, the Refill Return Cup is the first-of-its-kind returnable coffee cup scheme found in independent coffee outlets across Bristol, helping the city break up with single-use one cup at a time. The stylish cup designed by Circular&Co., the exclusive returnable cup provider, can be borrowed and returned from outlets across the city, making it easier than ever for Bristolians to choose to have their takeaway drinks in a reusable cup without having to remember their own.

As easy as 1,2,3…

Out and about without your reusable cup? You can now enjoy a coffee to-go without the waste (or guilt!) thanks to the Refill Return Cup. Just download the Refill app and select ‘No cup? No problem.’ to get started and tap on the map to see places near you where you can borrow a cup.

Go to your nearest one and order your favourite hot drink in the Refill Return Cup, showing the barista the QR code to scan. Take your drink away and enjoy it – remember to keep hold of the cup for now.

Return your cup within 14 days, either to the same coffee shop you borrowed it from, or use the Refill app to find other participating Refill Stations nearby. There’s no need to queue, simply return the cup into the drop off point in the café and they’ll take care of the rest.

And the best bit? It’s free to use. As long as you don’t keep the cup longer than 14 days, you can borrow and return the Refill Return Cup as many times as you like.

Where can I borrow and return?

Meet the amazing coffee shops pioneering the reusable revolution and helping Bristol break up with single-use, reducing litter and plastic pollution in our streets. You can borrow a Refill Return Cup at these local coffee favourites – plus watch this space for news of more cafes joining soon.

Participating cafes are University of the West of England: Atrium Café, Wild Kitchen, Student’s Union Bar, Future Leap Café, Small Goods, Small St Espresso, Little Victories, The Canteen, No. 1 Harbourside, Barista Coffee Collective, Mila Coffee (SPARKS Bristol), and Better Food Co.

What next?

Do your bit to help Bristol break up with single-use and give the Refill Return Cup a go. Download the Refill app to find places to borrow and return and enjoy your takeaway coffee free from single-use.

Tell your family, friends and colleagues about the Refill Return Cup and help them break up with single-use too.

City to Sea would love to tell your staff more about the Refill Return Cup so please contact cups@citytosea.org.uk to request for a member of the team to come into the office and tell them all about it.

Find out more about the Refill Return Cup.

Behind the cup…

The Refill Return Cup is powered by City to Sea, the Bristol-based charity behind the award-winning Refill campaign. Having made carrying a reusable water bottle the norm in Bristol since the launch of the Refill campaign in 2015, we’re now helping the city break up with single-use by launching the Refill Return Cup to tackle the problem of disposable coffee cups.

Refill is an award-winning campaign to help people live with less waste. The campaign is designed to normalise refill and reuse behaviour by connecting people to places they can eat, drink and shop without packaging. Anyone can download the free Refill app to tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill. Find out more about the Refill campaign.

Environmental campaigning organisation City to Sea are on a mission to prevent plastic pollution at source and make it easier for everyone to live with less waste. Their award-winning campaigns tackle the most polluting single-use plastic items, focusing on upstream solutions, so our oceans and beaches won’t need to be cleaned in the future. From tech-powered solutions, and behaviour change campaigns, to grassroots community-led action and game-changing education programmes, their award-winning initiatives are helping individuals and organisations reduce single-use plastic and have a measurable, lasting impact. Find out more about City to Sea and their campaigns.

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