The Circular Returnable Cup

A Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) gives people a small financial reward for returning empty drinks bottles and cans instead of throwing them away. The aim is to reduce litter and increase recycling.

The results can be impressive. Just two years after Latvia introduced its scheme, littered drinks containers found on the Baltic coastline had halved. Volunteers also reported finding no drinks containers in rivers.

People return empty cans and bottles to reverse vending machines, which issue a small refund. In Finland, the average person earns around £40 a year from returning containers – enough to help pay for a daily coffee habit.

Some community groups also collect discarded bottles and cans to raise money for local projects.

Tips for Independent Shops and Cafés

Serving coffee?

• Sanctuary Coffee profits help support animal welfare.
• Use a sink protector to catch coffee grounds before washing up.
• Put coffee grounds and tea leaves in the bin rather than the compost, as caffeine can affect some compost organisms.

Recycling drinks cans

Before recycling:

• Rinse cans to remove smells of liquids.
• Remove lids to avoid jagged edges (or pop ring-pulls over openings).
• Step on upper cans to pinch inner rims together, to avoid trapped wildlife in discarded cans.

Caffeine and pregnancy

The NHS advises limiting caffeine during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks all contain caffeine. If you choose to drink caffeine, only one cup of either each day, know that many café coffees contain more caffeine than instant coffee. Or none to be safe. 

Returnable Cup Schemes

Reusable cup schemes allow customers to borrow a cup, return it later and have it washed and reused many times. They offer an alternative while wider deposit return systems continue to develop.

Brummie Cup

Created by an environmental group, Brummie Cup lends up to 2,000 reusable cups for community events. After the event, the cups are washed and returned. As there are no lids, extra care is needed with hot drinks.

Billie Cup

Used in cafés, hotels and restaurants across continental Europe, Billie Cups are designed to be reused hundreds of times before being recycled. They come in five sizes, with reusable lids. At cashless venues, customers can use return tokens made from recycled fishing gear.

Borrow by Huskee

Borrow by Huskee uses reusable cups made from recycled coffee husks.

Customers borrow a cup, then use the app to find a nearby return point within 14 days. There is no charge unless the cup is returned late, when a small fee applies. Some locations also have dedicated return bins, and regular users can earn rewards such as free coffee.

Why Has England’s Deposit Return Scheme Been Delayed?

The UK’s Deposit Return Scheme has been delayed until 2027.

One of the main points of disagreement has been whether glass bottles should be included. Wales and Scotland have supported including glass, while the Government has decided focus on plastic and metal.

Yet countries such as Finland have successfully operated deposit systems for glass bottles for decades.  Excluding glass misses an opportunity to reduce litter and improve recycling.

Environmental organisations, including Greenpeace UK, have criticised the decision, arguing that all drinks containers should be part of the same system.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) means that companies producing packaging contribute towards cost of collecting, recycling and disposal.

At present, much of the cost of clearing litter and managing packaging waste falls on local councils and taxpayers. EPR aims to shift more of those costs to the businesses that place packaging on the market.

The policy also applies beyond food packaging and can include:

• Electrical equipment
• Batteries
• Textiles and clothing

How Industry Has Responded

Some business groups have argued that EPR could increase costs for manufacturers and retailers, with  costs passed onto consumers.

Environmental organisations respond that better packaging design could reduce these costs. They point out that many smaller companies already use recyclable or compostable packaging, showing that alternatives are available.

ReThink Plastic has reported that some industry groups and politicians have lobbied to weaken parts of proposed packaging legislation across Europe.

At the same time, many large retailers and food chains have announced plans to make more of their packaging recyclable or compostable.

Several supermarkets also trialled refill stations in recent years. Although many were withdrawn due to low customer demand, supporters believe producer responsibility policies would reverse this.

As the Ellen MacArthur Foundation explains:

“To stop packaging pollution, we need a circular economy where we eliminate what we don’t need. Through EPR schemes, companies putting packaging on the market are required to pay for its collection, sorting and recycling after use.”