As part of ReLondon’s High Streets Beyond Waste programme, we supported six businesses – five coffee shops and one pub – to trial reusable cup schemes. Now that the pilots have concluded, we’re reflecting on what they reveal about reuse in practice.
Small scale reuse offers the unique opportunity for businesses to test what processes are needed to make it work and help normalise reusable packaging with staff and customers. And it can spark important ripple effects, for example by enthusiastic small business owners closely engaging with their regular customers, encouraging them to change their habits one coffee at a time.
So, what did we learn from these pilots? In short: reuse isn’t one-size-fits-all – for ‘closed’ environments, where customers consume their drink on-site and return their cup immediately, such as pubs, the business case is clear. For ‘open’ environments like cafés, where customers receive their order in a disposable cup to drink it somewhere else, the take-away insights are more nuanced. But regardless of the exact context, these small trials may hold the key to something much bigger.
‘Closed’ venues can benefit greatly and swiftly from reusable cups
Businesses that serve drinks in disposable cups while predominantly operating as a closed environment (i.e., no takeaway) can see a return on investment in reusable cups within several months. This is because cups don’t leave the site, resulting in high return rates with low effort. An excellent use case are pubs near London stadiums which are often required to use plastic cups instead of glass due to licensing regulations. We’ve seen that switching to reusable cups reduces both a business’ monthly procurement of single-use equivalents and waste disposal costs. Crucially, customers tend to prefer this, too: beer tastes better from sturdy reusable cups rather than flimsy disposables!
There’s a potential role here for major drinks brands to step up and sponsor (branded) reusable cups in these kinds of venues, creating value for both pubs and brands.
For ‘open’ venues, context is everything
The key insight: the best reuse scheme isn’t necessarily the most sophisticated one – it’s the one that fits the given circumstances. And knowing whether the approach works in the long run, both on an environmental and on a cost level, might take time.
For outlets using disposables mainly for take-away orders, there are as many ways to implement reuse as there are participating businesses – and more pilots are needed to determine clear winners. In our case, all five supported coffee shops approached reusable cup schemes slightly differently, varying across a range of variables:
- Scheme partners: some venues opted for third-party systems like HuskeeSwap or Circular& Co.’s Tap&Go who provide cups, infrastructure and technology; whereas others just ordered their cups with a supplier and set up the scheme on their own.
- Cup types: Branded or plain; hot, iced or both; sourced via the scheme partners above or directly.
- Ownership model: Some cafés retained cup ownership (via deposit), others transferred it to customers (for free or at a cost).
- Incentives for cup returns: Included deposits, discounts, or penalties.
A practical but often underestimated challenge was the lead time. Branded cups can take months to arrive, delaying scheme launches and impacting momentum. Thus, for any business looking to start a reuse scheme, factoring in supplier timelines is essential.
One thing that has become clear: location and customer profile tend to shape what works. HuskeeSwap, for instance, allows customers to swap their used Huskee cup for a clean one in any participating café. This is particularly suitable for office-dense areas, where people grab multiple coffees per day. But in residential areas, where regulars usually bring a clean cup, the swap feature saw limited uptake.
Multiple potential benefits for participating coffee shops (or other ‘open’ venues) are emerging: they can reduce their procurement costs for single-use cups, increase loyalty among existing customers and attract a new, sustainability-minded audience, and reduce waste by displacing single-use cups.
From pilot to platform
These six participating businesses in our High Streets Beyond Waste programme remind us that the path to reuse isn’t a quick fix. It’s built cup by cup, conversation by conversation.
ReLondon will continue championing these kinds of trials – not as the final answer, but as vital stepping stones toward the shared systems and infrastructure that will one day make reuse the norm across London.
How can we help?
We’re continuing our work with high street food and drink businesses in 2025/26. Support on offer includes tailored advice from a business advisor and the opportunity to apply for a grant to try out new ‘beyond waste’ ideas. Find out more and share with businesses in your neighbourhood or network who might benefit.
ReLondon’s business transformation programme and the pan-London High Streets Beyond Waste programme is funded by the Mayor of London and UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
