In the UK we use 7 million disposable coffee cups every day – that’s 2.5 billion every year, with only 1% recycled.

Sheffield Action on Plastic are encouraging Sheffield independent coffee shops and cafes to join the Reusable Revolution by signing up the Sheffield Reusable Coffee Cup Scheme, powered by Recirculate Systems.

The system works with a deposit return scheme. Customers pay an deposit for their hot drink in a reusable cup, which is then refunded back to them when customers return their empty cup to another participating venue. No need for customers to download any apps, pay via cash, or for customers to queue up to return their cups. The system we have makes it really simple for customers to use.

How it works

By signing up, you’ll receive a custom quote for your venue

Sign up on the form below and we can arrange a chat or visit to come and show you the system.

Participating cafes

The following cafes have signed up to to the scheme so far.

• Cafe 420 – 76 Barber Road, S10 1EE
• Chakra Lounge – 5 Fitzalan Square, S1 2AY
• Cloud – 227 Crookes, S10 1TE
• Curiositea – 205-207 Crookes Valley Road, S10 1BA
• Marmadukes – 22 Norfolk Row, S1 2PA
• Marmadukes – 42 Cambridge Street, S1 4HP
• Marmadukes – The Sorting Office, 846 Ecclesall Road, S11 8TP
• Mesters Market – Leah’s Yard, Cambridge Street, S1 4HP
• South Street Kitchen – 19–20 South Street, S2 5QX
• Union St – 18-20 Union Street, S1 2JP

Join them today and sign up to this fantastic scheme!

Become a Return Point

Want to take part but not a cafe or hot drinks seller? Become a Return Point!

To become a Return Point all you need is a sink to wash the cups

Being a return point would not only be great for the scheme but it will also bring people into your shop and we will feature your business on our website, in social media posts and in the press.

FAQs

• What is the reusable cup scheme?
  • A reusable takeaway hot drinks cup that can be borrowed for a refundable deposit.  It offers people an environmentally friendly way to buy takeaway drinks without the inconvenience of carrying around your own reusable cup
• How much is the deposit?
  • Usually £1 – this might vary slightly depending on the café.
• How do the deposit refunds work?
  • When a cup is returned to a return point, the system triggers a refund to the customer’s original payment method. If your venue isn’t large enough to host a smart bin, you may need to scan cups back in manually by passing them over the scanner mat. This ensures the system recognises the return and processes the refund as usual.
• What sizes does the cup come in?
  • There are two cup sizes. Latte size (12oz) and Flat White size (8oz)
• What equipment is provided if our café signs up to the scheme?
  • One D RFID scanner mat per till
  • RFID reusable cups
  • Counter signage, window stickers, return bin
• Will it keep my coffee hot?
  • The cup is insulated so your hands are safe- but it is not a thermos cup. However, it keeps your drink hot in the same way that a single use paper cup does.
• Why is the Sheffield Reusable Cup Scheme needed?
  • Every day in the UK, 7 million disposable coffee cups are used, typically for just 15 minutes each. Very few are recycled. Nearly all of them are incinerated, sent to landfill, or littered.
• How does the deposit system work?
  • You pay a refundable deposit when you order your take out drink. As long as the cup isn’t damaged, return the cup (no receipt needed) to any participating café for a full deposit refund. Alternatively swap the used cup for a clean one when you next want a takeaway drink.
• Aren’t compostable cups better?
  • Compostable cups are still single use: they still get used for an average of 15 minutes before they are thrown away. People think they will just rot down – but in fact they need to be sent to a specialised in-vessel composting facility. The reality is that cups thrown away in the city’s bins all end up in the incinerator just like everything else. That’s why the only no-waste solution is to avoid a single use cup and go for REUSABLE.
  • The reusable coffee we cup are using is made of plastic (100% polypropylene), but it can be used hundreds of times so it is not single use. At the end of its life our cup can be fully recycled
• What happens if a cup is damaged?
  • Cafes should report this to Recirculate and broken cups will be replaced
• Which cup system is the most environmentally friendly?
  • When you compare the carbon footprint of our reusable cup with that of single-use paper cups – the results speak for themselves. If you choose a reusable cup 7 times instead of 7 paper cups – you will use 41% less carbon. If you use a reusable cup every day for 6 months instead of 182 single-use cups – then you save 95% of the carbon.
• Are the reusable coffee cups for sale?
  • No. Our reusable cups should be used as many times as possible to give the biggest environmental benefit, which will only be achieved if they are borrowed and returned each time.