Bristol returnable coffee cup project expanding into Bath

The return cup

A Bristol environmental charity is expanding its returnable coffee cup scheme to university campuses in Bath to help cut pollution.

City to Sea ran a successful city-wide returnable cup scheme across Bristol last year and are now launching on three Bath Spa University campuses.

Students will be able to access the cups from five coffee shops.

Harriet Bosnell, City to Sea's CEO said microplastics from single use plastics were "causing havoc in ecosystems".

She said: "Single-use coffee cups are not just an ugly blight on our beautiful countryside but also break down into microplastics.

"Even cups that look and feel like paper can have a plastic lining which breaks down causing harm to wildlife and entering our food system."

The university is hoping to tackle the 55,000 single-use coffee cups currently served up to students and staff on campuses with the Refill Return Cup.

The cups will be able to be used and returned at five locations across Bath Spa University

Students will be able to pick up one of the cups and return it to five outlets across the Bath Spa estate and they can manage it through an app called Refill.

City to Sea estimates that if the Refill Return Cup was used once a week by one in ten students or staff at Bath Spa University, then more than 70,000 single-use cups would be saved in a year.  

Professor Sue Rigby, the Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University said: "As a university we're committed to eliminating all single-use plastics from our campuses, and by now offering reusable coffee cups, this is another important step towards this."

She added that she wants the university to play a leading role in bringing "local and regional awareness" of single-use plastic.

Rachel Roberts, catering and hospitality manager at Bath Spa University said: "This isn't just about coffee cups, but about the wider question of how we tread more lightly by using our resources sustainably."