An end to single-use takeaway coffee cups

Takeaway coffee-lovers, here’s a new way to drink eco-responsibly. Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has partnered with Green Caffeen, a swap and go reusable cup program, to reduce coffee drinkers’ reliance on single-use takeaway cups. The program was launched last month at Miller’s Bread Kitchen in Dromana that saw 20 cafes across the Peninsula offer free coffee in Green Caffeen cups to kick things off.

“The situation with single-use takeaway coffee cups is highly problematic,” says the shire’s zero waste officer, Jess Cooper. “Every cup goes to landfill. They can’t be recycled. The takeaway coffee cup always has a plastic lining. Sometimes that’s a bio-plastic, which means it’s a plastic product that could be made from a natural resource such as sugar cane or corn starch, so it doesn’t leave microplastics. However, when the cups become litter they act like plastic.”

So how does Green Caffeen work?

Peninsula businesses wanting to take part register their interest online. After an induction, the business is provided with Green Caffeen cups ready for customers who have downloaded the Green Caffeen app to use.

The app requires users to tap ‘grab, swap, or drop’ their Green Caffeen cup, then buy their drink at participating cafes listed in the app and scan the Green Caffeen code. You can then return your empty cup to the same cafe or any other participating café. Grab a fresh cup the next time you order your coffee and as long as the cup is returned within 30 days, it’s completely free to use. Just pay for the coffee. If, however, you don’t return the cup within 30 days, you’ll be ‘fined’ $12 – the cost of the cup. This is to ensure the cups stay in circulation.

To find cafes taking part in Green Caffeen or to register if you’re an interested business, go to greencaffeen.com.au

Mornington Peninsula Shire zero waste officer Jess Cooper, Cr Lisa Dixon, Cr Debra Mar, Birte Moliere from Waste Wise Peninsula, Martin Brooks from Green Caffeen, Amy Westnedge from Beach Patrol, and Sarah Hollingworth from Green Caffeen salute the launch of Green Caffeen at Miller’s Bread Kitchen in Dromana.