Circular&Co says the UK hospitality sector, including its high street coffee chains, has more work to do in order to shift consumers away from a reliance on disposable coffee cups.
The survey found half of those who regularly buy takeaway hot drinks never use a reusable cup, leaving them completely reliant on single-use products. In the UK, it is estimated that people use between 2.5 to 5 billion disposable paper cups per year, with very few of those reported as being recycled.
With 76% of people who purchase takeaway coffees relying on single-use equivalents, this means that there is a ‘huge opportunity’ for takeaway hot drinks outlets to adopt simple practices to reduce the significant single-use waste produced in the UK. The simple practices include offering reusable cups for sale, a discount to customers that use one, or implementing a cost-effective returnable cup scheme.
Dan Dicker, chief executive and founder at Circular&Co, said: “This survey clearly shows the opportunity on offer to forward-thinking catering outlets as they look to reduce their reliance on single-use packaging. There’s a clear appetite for more returnable cup schemes and reusables among those buying takeaway hot drinks regularly, which gives businesses the opportunity to make significant commercial and environmental savings, all while improving their appeal to the growing number of environmentally conscious customers.”