Did you know that we use over 100,000 disposable coffee cups on BU campuses each year? These cups are made from paper lined with plastic and are not currently recycled. Students and staff have told us that this is unacceptable, and are pushing BU to eliminate single-use plastics from our campuses. To take action, we have decided to implement our second ‘No Disposable Cups Week’ and this time it will be in term time, between Monday 11 and Friday 15 November during Green Week.
We hope the upcoming ‘No Disposable Cups Week’ will be just as successful, but we need your help. If you wish to purchase a hot drink between Monday 11 - Friday 15 November, you must either:
Drink in our outlets using crockery
Bring your own re-useable cup
Join the Cup Exchange scheme.
Remember choosing a re-usable cup means that you avoid the 30p cup charge that comes with purchasing a disposable cup.
We trialled this initiative during the summer between 17 and 21 June 2024, and the outcome was promising. Compared the same week in June in 2023, Chartwells sold virtually the same number of hot drinks, but 1,077 fewer disposable cups! Well done to the Chartwells team, and thank you to all BU staff and students who supported the initiative.
More information is provided below about the Cup Exchange scheme and how you can get more involved in shaping the BU approach to waste management.
The Cup Exchange Scheme
The Cup Exchange scheme aims to eliminate the issue of forgetting your reusable cup and having to carry around a dirty cup. How does it work?
Join by purchasing a returnable cup for £3.95 from Chartwells or SUBU outlets across Talbot and Lansdowne campuses (excluding Dylan's)
Keep your cup for as long as you like or return it in exchange for a clean cup. When you hand over your cup for cleaning, you’ll be given a token
Next time you want to purchase a drink, just hand over the token and you will be given a new returnable cup.
Attend one of our BU Climate Assemblies
If you would like to influence how we manage waste at BU, the Sustainability Team are hosting a Climate Assembly on the topic of ‘Plastic and Waste’ on Monday 11 November in C125 at 1–2pm as part of our Climate & Ecological Crisis Action Plan (CECAP). Our Climate Assemblies are open to all staff and students, and they provide you with a platform to learn about a topic, and feedback your ideas on how we can improve. To book your place, complete the online form.
If you have any questions about the No Disposable Cups Week, the Cup Exchange scheme, or how you can get involved with our Climate Assemblies, please email [email protected]
