Hamilton reusable coffee cup scheme reduces waste to landfill

Takeaway coffee now comes in a borrowed cup at many Hamilton cafes.

More than 2000 disposable cups have been diverted from landfill in six weeks through a new initiative that enables people to borrow a reusable cup from selected Hamilton cafes.

In a move to combat the environmental impact of single-use coffee cups, the Hamilton City Council-supported initiative, Let’s Reuse Hamilton, is helping cafes across the city to implement their own sustainable cup-lending system.

The initiative - the first of its kind locally, and amongst the first in Aotearoa New Zealand - aims to reduce unnecessary waste to landfill and inspire people to make a more sustainable choice.

People can either bring their own reusable cup to a participating cafe, or they can borrow one to return later.

The council’s Sustainable Resource Recovery Unit director Tania Hermann said the goal of Let’s Reuse Hamilton was to let customers choose reusable cups for their takeaway coffee, instead of relying on single-use disposable cups.

“It’s estimated that New Zealanders go through more than 295 million takeaway coffee cups every year. Most of these cups and their lids will end up in landfill - as the cup’s plastic lining prevents them from being able to be recycled in New Zealand,” Hermann said.

Council has a Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, a road map for how it will support Hamilton to reduce waste.

“One of our goals is to increase innovation and opportunities that help reduce waste to landfill - this initiative achieves that. It’s simple to use and helps people make a choice that benefits the planet as well.”

All participating cafes have opted into the Again Again system. When customers visit, they can download the Again Again app, scan it at the counter, and borrow a stainless steel cup.

When they’re ready for their next coffee, they return their cup and borrow another one. Cups can be returned to any participating cafe, fostering a community-wide commitment to sustainability.

Some participating cafes have also created their own ‘ugly mug library’ - an eclectic collection of mugs, which customers can borrow from.

To kick-start the initiative, the Let’s Reuse team hosted a series of launch events - one at each of the participating cafes, to bring the Hamilton community together.

“The launch events were well attended and a great opportunity for people to see how easy the system is to use. It was great to see staff excited about the initiative too - knowing they were helping support their customers to make better choices,” Hermann said.

The project is being delivered by Impact Hub Waikato and funded through Hamilton City Council’s Waste Minimisation Fund.

The Waste Minimisation Fund is provided by the Government’s charge for waste disposal, the Ministry for the Environment’s Waste Levy.

Participating cafes:

Kopi Cafe (298 Victoria St), Rocket Coffee Roasters (302 Barton St), Cream Eatery (14 Garden Place), Sierra Cafe (10 Worley Place) and Weave Eatery (3 Melody Lane).

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