Big Brands Back Reusable Cups Trial in CA

The second of the three sustainability Rs — “reuse” — is gaining traction, with reusable plastic cups making news both domestically and abroad.

In the US, a test program for reusable beverage cups is set to launch at restaurants across Petaluma, CA, on August 5. The program will run until November.

The Petaluma Reusable Cup Project from the NextGen Consortium, led by the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, includes the cooperation of more than 30 restaurants, as well as brand owners Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

Participating restaurants include Starbucks locations, Dunkin', Peet's Coffee, KFC and The Habit Burger Grill (both owned by Yum! Brands), and many local restaurants and cafés. For Starbucks, the Petaluma program complements an annual limited-edition, holiday reusable-cup promotion.

Also participating in the public-private collaboration are the City of Petaluma; Zero Waste Sonoma, a local government entity; waste collector/recycler Recology; community groups; and local businesses, including convenience stores.

How the reuse program works.

All consumers at participating restaurants will receive their hot and cold beverage orders in reusable to-go cups rather than single-use cups, for no additional cost. More than 60 cup-return bins will be installed throughout Petaluma, making it convenient for consumers to return used cups.

“At the start of the project, participating locations will receive new cups to replace their current single-use offerings. After each of these cups is used and returned, it will be collected and washed daily and recirculated for future uses by participating businesses,” says Kate Daly, managing director and head of the Center for the Circular Economy, Closed Loop Partners.

Daly adds that the Petaluma program is the first of its kind to make reusable to-go cups the default option at multiple restaurants in a US city, driving consumer reuse and displacing hundreds of thousands of single-use cups.

The program is free and convenient.

Reverse logistics and consumer convenience will be essential to the program’s success. All participating businesses will have a return bin at or near their business. Additionally, 20 bins will be in public places; the City of Petaluma allowed these return bins to be co-located with municipal waste bins.

“The locations were selected for maximum convenience for customers, helping set the precedent for reuse to integrate seamlessly into Petaluma residents’ daily lives. We also have several return bins located at drive-throughs, at a gas station, and [we] offer a pick-up from home service,” Daly says.

Reusable cup program support includes billboard signage. CLOSED LOOP PARTNERS

Muuse, a reusable-packaging technology company, manages the program’s servicing and reverse logistics.

Making the program free to consumers was a strategic choice. “While deposit and penalty schemes have been shown to work for certain reuse systems, our previous tests have shown that they could add friction or pose both accessibility and operational challenges,” Daly says.

“The NextGen Consortium has a unique opportunity to measure consumer engagement when convenience is offered through home collection and accessible returns bins across the city, and reusables are the free, common norm across the community, without deposit or penalty requirements,” she adds.

CLOSED LOOP PARTNERS

Two cup designs, three sizes.

The program will use three cup sizes and two cup designs. “A novel, lightweight polypropylene technology will be used for hot cups,” Daly says. “This cup was selected because it is 100% recyclable at end of life, yet insulated for hot beverages.”

Cups for cold drinks like fountain sodas are made from high-density polyethylene. "This cup was selected because it services the size constraints across multiple partners. Innovation is still needed to provide more options for reusables for cold beverages, as this is a less typical use case for reusable cups today,” she adds.

The program chose these materials and designs based on currently available reusable-cup offerings and how well the cups responded to serving-ware size, health, and safety requirements; restaurant supply-chain issues such as weight and cup nesting; and the need to wash and reuse the items in a scaled system.

Both of the reusable cup designs have recyclable lids, which are removed before the cups are washed and sanitized. The partners are investigating durable lids for future reuse programs.

Information about how the program works is on the cups, on signage around Petaluma, in participating stores, and on returnmycup.com, where consumers can also schedule home pickup of used cups.

In addition, participating brands are educating their employees about the program and training them to explain it to consumers.

Reuse on the global stage.

As the Petaluma program gears up, reusable packaging is also making news globally, with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games poised to become the largest sports event to deploy reusable beverage packaging in place of single-use plastic cups.

Separately, more than 100 sports organizations and world-class athletes from 30 countries recently signed a letter to Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and multinational bottler Coca-Cola Europacific Partners imploring them to reduce plastic pollution by significantly increasing reusable packaging by 2030.