Working to make Nelson disposable-cup free

17 January 2020
Nelson City Council is offering a subsidy to local cafés and coffee carts to bolster the use of reusable takeaway cups.

As part of its ongoing commitment to minimising waste and reducing our environmental impact, Council is offering a subsidy of up to $120 to cafés and coffee carts to take part in a cup bond scheme where they have not already received support to do so.

Cup bond programmes allow customers to “borrow” a cup from the café for a small fee, and either return the cup to any participating cafe to get their bond back, or swap it for a new cup with their next hot drink.

Flyers are going out to cafés and coffee carts throughout the city encouraging them to take up the offer with providers CupCycling or Again Again and help reduce the number of single-use disposable cups going into landfill.

Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis said the vast majority of disposable takeaway cups are not recyclable and ended up in landfill.

The subsidy was one small to step to helping make Nelson disposable cup-free.

“Nelson City Council is committed to reducing waste. The subsidy is there to help cover the set-up and initial operational costs. The principle is much the same as the subsidies we already offer for compost and e-waste.

“Many people already have reusable cups, but they only work if you remember to take them with you to the café. Cup bond programmes are there for when people forget their own reusable cup, or if they don’t have one. The bond is 100% refundable, so the cup can either be returned, or swapped for a clean cup. If a customer keeps forgetting to return their reusable cup, they can just pay another bond, until they remember to bring their cups back to any participating café.

“The cup bond programme is a step in the right direction to creating a more sustainable environment for us and future generations,” he said.

Conditions for the subsidy can be found at nelson.govt.nz/recycling.

ENDS

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