Did you know that 3 in 4 of Brits agree that shops should do more to provide reusable, refillable and returnable shopping options?[1] Thankfully, more and more high street businesses are looking for ways to reduce plastic and packaging waste.
For Small Business Week, we’re spotlighting some of the brilliant businesses making this change, take a look and visit them on a high street near you!
Happy customers for Cafe Terrace
Sandra, the owner of Cafe Terrace in Islington, was all too aware that the disposable takeaway cups she was giving out to her customers were contributing to the 7 million cups thrown away in the UK each day. She saw an opportunity to try a less wasteful approach that could benefit the café, her customers, and the environment.
Cafe Terrace invested in reusable, collapsible cups and then offered a discount each time customers used them.
As a result of the scheme, Cafe Terrace saw an impressive two-thirds reduction in the number of single-use cups they use each month. Feedback from customers has also been positive, with customers appreciating the café’s efforts to improve their environmental impact.
‘The staff are so friendly and I love my free reusable cups, I bring them with me every time!’
– Cafe Terrace customer
Visit Cafe Terrace at 241 Caledonian Rd, N11ED
Big saves for Wembley bar, Blue Check
Blue Check’s licence prevents them from using glassware on days when they have more than 100 customers in the venue, and with Wembley Stadium being so close by, that happens a lot! Like many bars, they were using single-use plastic cups but were fed up with dealing with the endless bags of rubbish created by the approximately 150,000 single-use pint and half-pint cups they used every year.
As a solution, Blue Check started serving in sturdier, plastic pint, half pint and prosecco “glasses” that could be washed and used again and again.
The switch to reusables now avoids roughly 5,000 plastic cups being wasted every month, and is saving the business £475 monthly – win win! Not only that, but the bar has found that customers much prefer drinking from the sturdier cups and has noticed that visitors are quick to return.
Visit Blue Check at 12-13 Empire Way, Wembley Park HA9 0RQ
Low waste rewards at Sista Barista
Sista Barista, a small coffee shop near Waterloo, saw the potential of customer loyalty schemes in motivating customers to bring their own cup.
The café’s loyalty programme means that customers enjoying their coffee in a reusable cup will get their tenth drink for free. The popularity is clear: 1,500 single-use cups have been saved from waste since the scheme began.
In addition to reducing plastic and packaging waste, Sista Barista has also started composting their coffee grounds – helping reduce waste in landfill where it would release harmful methane emissions.
‘It’s really rewarding and exciting when I get my free coffee for bringing my own cup – makes my day’
– Sista Barista customer
Visit Sista Barista at 141 Westminster Bridge Rd SE1 7HR
The businesses are recipients of ReLondon’s High Streets Beyond Waste programme and received grants and business support to develop and implement low waste initiatives. Learn more here.
[1] City to Sea, Attitudes and behaviours towards reuse in the UK (March, 2024)
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