Starbucks started its first reusable cup program in a partnership with Gatwick Airport and environmental non-profit Hubbub. The program will trial for a month in the airport’s South Terminal.
With the trial, customers will be able to borrow a free reusable cup rather than get a disposable paper cup. The program is designed to reduce waste.
Once the drinks are finished, customers can leave their cups at one of five Cup Check-In stations in the airport, including at the Starbucks café. The airport’s waste management team collects, washes and sterilizes the cups and returns them to Starbucks.
The test hopes to circulate 2,000 reusable cups, with around 250 customers a day choosing to receive one. That means the airport could see more than 7,000 disposable coffee cups saved from waste in one month.
“The purpose of working with Hubbub and Gatwick is to help create a new culture of reuse on-the-go, by giving customers the option of a reusable cup instead of paper for free. We are optimistic that the ‘Cup Check-In’ points around the airport will provide enough places for customers to return their cups on the way to their gate, but also recognise this might not be for everyone.” said Jaz Rabadia, MBE, senior manager of energy and sustainability, U.K., Starbucks.
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