A pioneering ‘Refill Return Cup’ scheme is set to go live in Cardiff.
To celebrate the launch on October 4, participating businesses across the city will be offering the first 50 customers to use the scheme a free hot drink of their choice.
The initiative, a first for Wales, enables customers to ‘borrow’ a reusable cup from any participating venue and return it later to be washed and reused. This approach aims to reduce single-use cup waste and make Cardiff a greener, more sustainable city. A total of 2.5 billion single-use coffee cups are used annually in the UK.
Participating businesses – all of which are offering one free coffee to the first 50 scheme users:
- Pettigrew Bakery (Castle Arcade, Roath, and Victoria Park)
- Pettigrew Tea Rooms (Bute Park)
- Tramshed Tech (Tramshed and Da at One Central Square)
- Waterloo Tea (Wyndham Arcade)
- Bird & Blend Tea Co. (Royal Arcade)
- Kin & Ilk (Brunel House, Capital Quarter, Capital Tower, Pontcanna, and St David’s Dewi Sant)
- Green Shoots Cafe (Cardiff University Main Building)
- Uncommon Ground (Royal Arcade)
- Sherman Cymru
- Coffi Clwb (Jacobs Market)
- Bae Coffi (within Cardiff and Vale College)
- Coffee Spot (Barrack Lane)
- Snails Deli (Rhiwbina)
- The Training Ground Cafe Project (Grangetown)
- Coffee Mania (within Techniquest)
This ambitious scheme, brought to life by FOR Cardiff in collaboration with City To Sea with support from £90,000 in funding from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, will run as a pilot until March 2025. It’s thought it will save a potential 30,000 single use cups from entering the waste stream in Cardiff.
The scheme’s impact will be evaluated by Cardiff Business School and Greenwich Business School, with the hope that it will serve as a blueprint for similar projects across the UK.
FOR Cardiff’s Executive Director, Carolyn Brownell, said: “We’re incredibly excited to see the Cardiff Refill Return Cup scheme launch this week. This initiative will help Cardiff reduce waste, help Cardiff businesses to become more circular, and also encourage more sustainable choices in our daily lives.”
City to Sea’s CEO, Jane Martin, said:
“Tea and coffee drinkers in Cardiff – enjoy your favourite brew, support local independent cafes AND prevent plastic pollution. Choosing the Refill Return Cup is an easy step to tackle single-use waste in the city, plus with the Refill app you can find places to refill your water bottle and shop without the pointless packaging.
“The process is simple: customers download the Refill app, scan a QR code to borrow a reusable cup and return it to any participating location within two weeks with no charge. The app provides reminders and makes it easy for users to find the nearest pick-up or drop-off point, and customers are only charged a fee if the cup is not returned within two weeks.”
Gwenno Jones, Community Manager from Da Coffee said:
“We are thrilled to be part of this scheme. Being perfectly placed right next to central station, we hope that people travelling into Cardiff for the day will take the opportunity to collect a Refill Return cup from us – they can spend the day in the city and enjoy a coffee on the go, all without creating any unnecessary single-use waste.”
How the Cardiff Refill Return Cup works:
- Cafes and coffee shops across the city will sign up to the scheme and will be provided with a stock of the reusable cups.
- The customer will download the Refill app and register their card details in preparation for using one of the Cardiff Refill Return Cups (no charges will be taken).
- When a customer comes in for a coffee, the barista will use the Refill app to scan a QR code on one of the Cardiff Refill Return Cups, and temporary ownership of the cup goes to the customer.
- The customer will be reminded when and where to return the cup by the Refill app; provided the cup is returned within two weeks, there is no charge for using the scheme.
- Once the customer returns the cup, the participating retailer will scan it back in, wash it and put it back into circulation to be re-used by another customer.
