Green Gown Awards 2020 - Cardiff Metropolitan University - Finalist

Cup, cup “n” away! 

Drinking on-the-go has become increasingly popular, 1 in 5 of us go to a coffee shop. In a 2017 poll, 50% of respondents thought coffee cups were recycled all or most of the time, however, just 1 in 400 (less than 1%) are actually recycled, even if disposed of in recycling bins.  

January 2019, the Cardiff Met & Keep Wales Tidy campaign launched to reduce cup waste and boost correct recycling on-the-go. Supported by Paper Cup Recycling Recovery Group (PCRRG), four dedicated coffee cup shaped bins were introduced inside at each outlet, to encourage hot drink lovers to recycle as they move around the University.  

The campaign encourages students, staff, and visitors to switch to re-usable cups, making use of University extensive free water refill facilities. From coffee cup shaped bins, used cups are collected, processed, transformed into new products by Simply Cups, specialist UK-based recycling company. Cardiff Met has facilitated the saving of 22,704 cups by switching to re-usables and the collection of 17,313 single-use cups. 

Top 3 learnings:

1. Progress does not mean perfection. Changing perception of single-use and re-usable alternatives on Campus is a start. 
2. Our campaign provides a subtle and obvious nudge towards change, making a difference to behaviour 
3. Barriers to changing single-use cup use, is not an excuse to give up. 

Videos

• Video #1 (click to hide)