Reusable cup use trebles in campus cafes

The proportion of hot drinks served in reusable cups in our campus cafes leapt from 20% to 60% in 2022/23.

This followed the introduction of a 50p levy on disposable cups in September 2022 to encourage more sustainable habits among our staff, students and visitors.

Between September 2022 and July 2023, 60% of the 209,000 hot drinks sold on campus cafes were served in reusable cups.

This means 126,438 fewer disposable cups were used – the equivalent of around 12 tonnes less waste.

Before the 50p disposable cup levy was introduced last September, only 20% of hot drinks were served in reusable cups, indicating a positive shift in behaviour in our community.

If you have a reusable coffee cup, remember to bring it with you when you visit one of our cafes. And if you don’t already have a reusable cup, your first drink is free when you purchase one.

If you visit the Library café, you can also wash your reusable cup before ordering at the cup washing facility there.

Our Hospitality team is working to reduce waste further, including by phasing out plastic coffee cup lids in favour of paper ones that can be recycled.

Follow our Sustainability team’s Our Future First campaign – including sustainable action stories on the Staff Portal – for more ways you can reduce waste and lower your carbon footprint to help the University’s ambition to be net zero by 2030.