There is “no excuse for single-use” cups to still be used at events according to the environmental not-for-profit City to Sea which has also launched a guide called “Solutions on tap a guide to reducing waste & introducing reusable cup schemes at events”.
City to Sea says the new guide for small and medium-sized events offers a “practical and inspiring” guide for organisers on how to avoid single-use plastics.
The not-for-profit says that currently, over 100 million single-use plastic cups are used every year at UK festivals and live events, and most of these are incinerated or sent to landfill. City to Sea says it believes that another way is possible and by building on industry best practices it can make reuse and refilling the new norm at events across the UK.
It says the new guide offers “practical guidance” on how to introduce measures like deposit return schemes for reusable cups as well as busting myths around bioplastics and outlining best practices already occurring within the industry.
City to Sea says that festivals and arenas have been turning away from single-use plastic cups and now smaller events can too.
With this guide in place, there is really no excuse for single-use cups at events this summer.
City to Sea’s Refill Campaign Manager, Matt Mellen, said: “With this guide in place, there is really no excuse for single-use cups at events this summer. It’s an easy step-by-step guide to how to have fun and have a drink without it costing the earth.”
“Councils have a particularly important role to play here. A first step that councils can take is to stop using single-use plastics at their own events. Councils can also encourage reusable cups at events in their areas in a number of different ways using both the carrot and the stick.”
The best practices in the guide include Manchester Food and Drink Festival which swapped out single-use for reusable cups in 2019. The festival reported a 40% saving in waste management costs due to less bin emptying and litter picking.
It also explores community grassroots responses as well highlighting examples such as Litterfree Dorset, a community group, that purchased 500 cups for local events to borrow.
The guide also criticises bioplastic cups, which it calls a “false solution”. The guide says that these cups are unable to be recycled and are rarely collected back in for commercial composting and that reuse is by far a better option.
With plenty of other, reusable solutions available, there’s just no good reason to still be using single-use cups at your bars.
Director of Shambala, Becka Whiteley, said: “We banned disposable bar cups back in 2010 as part of our commitment to being single-use plastic-free.
“With plenty of other, reusable solutions available, there’s just no good reason to still be using single-use cups at your bars. With 15,000 people at Shambala, even if everyone only had a couple of drinks from the bar a day, that’s a huge amount of totally avoidable waste going to landfill.
“Our audience quickly got used to the system and see it as a real positive – in our experience, they are proud to play a part in reducing the impact of the festival.”