How to Make Your Event Eco-Friendly with Reusable Cups: A Comprehensive Guide

Reusable bar cups are a great way to make events less taxing for the environment. They offer many benefits beyond that, but implementing them is not without challenges. How many do you need? How do you make sure people bring them back? Will you need more staff to handle the change? Where should you get your event cups and which material should you use? What about storage space, washing and other logistical challenges? We’ll cover all of those questions and more.

But first: why should we care?

The main reasons and benefits of reusable bar cups

The environment is certainly our first main concern. But there is more. One big incentive comes from legislation. The EU has demanded we shift away single-use plastics (SUP) through their SUP-directive. Member States can fill in how they implement the changes, but one thing is clear: single-use plastics are not here to stay. Shifting to reusable is a matter of future-proofing your events, as bans and strict recycling targets are becoming the norm.

Fortunately, moving towards more sustainable practices such as using reusable cups does come with inherent rewards:

• Reusable bar cups are an investment: they cost more initially, but with each subsequent use, the cost averages out lower.
• Waste management and clean-up costs are significantly lower than with single-use cups, especially with ever increasing recycling targets. This saves costs on top of making your event more tidy.
• They have a higher quality feel for attendees.
• Eco-conscious attendees are also more likely to appreciate and support events that align with their values, enhancing your event’s appeal.
• Adopting reusable cups also sends a message: your brand cares about its impact on the environment. You may find positive publicity, better community relations and perhaps even attract eco-conscious sponsors for you events.

Considerations when switching to reusable event cups

There are many aspects about reusable festival cups that need careful consideration to make the most of the transition. Let’s have a closer look at the most important ones.

1. Material

The first thing to consider is which types of reusable cups you want to use. The three common materials are polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) and copolyester (like tritan.) Depending on your event and the kinds of drinks you serve, you may choose to work with one of them or a combination.

• Polypropylene (PP): The most environmentally friendly, PP cups are opaque, robust and cost-effective, making them perfect for high-circulation use at large events.
• Polycarbonate (PC) and Copolyester: These transparent materials offer a glass-like appearance and high durability, ideal for upscale events or specific uses like wine, champagne or specialty beer glasses.

2. How many do you need?

The amount of reusable event cups your event will need depends on many factors. Ideally, you can estimate consumption behavior based on previous editions, but we’ll provide you with some general guidelines to follow if it’s your first event or you’re still uncertain.

First, you’ll want to consider the maximum number of attendees expected at one time, as well as the number of different types of cups you plan to use.

The number of tap installations, the collection and washing method, the peak moments, the event program, and weather forecasts, do also play a role in determining the right number of reusable cups.

You’ll want to aim for a margin of 10-15%, to ensure you’ll have enough reusable cups in stock.

As a general rule of thumb, for a ‘fast’ event, like a festival or fair, you’ll want at least 7 cups per visitor per day. For ‘slow’ events, like a sports match, music concert or a performance at a cultural centre, you can get by with 2 or 3 cups per daily visitors.

With on-site washing, a fast event may have enough with 4 and a slow with 1 cup(s) per daily visitor.

3. Where to get your reusable cups

There are three main options for acquiring reusable bar cups:

• Borrowing: Local breweries, municipalities, or neighboring organizations may lend cups, often requiring only a fee for lost or damaged items.
• Renting: Specialized service providers offer rental services, which often include delivery, cleaning, and collection—ideal for medium to large events.
• Purchasing: For frequently recurring events, purchasing reusable cups can be cost-effective. Customizing these cups with your event’s branding can also turn them into memorable souvenirs. (That may prove a challenge for collection targets targets, though, if too many people take them home.)

4. How to implement a reusable cup system at your event

Implementing a reusable cup system involves careful planning. For an effective implementation, you’ll want to consider your deposit/return system, washing, staffing and storage space. Finally, make a plan for how you will communicate the changes to both your staff and attendees.

1. Deposit/return system

To make sure people return your bar cups for reuse, charge a deposit for their first cup, which they then exchange with each next drink. Make the deposit high enough for people to care, no less than €1. You can use one the following deposit systems:

• Cash Transactions: Simple and direct, suitable for smaller events.
• Cashless Payment Systems: Efficient for larger events, using wristbands or chip cards to streamline the process.
• Ecotokens: Attendees receive a token upon entry, exchanged for a cup with their first drink, simplifying logistics and reducing fraud. Make sure people can buy a replacement if they lose their token.

Unless you use ecotokens, allow people to trade their last cups back for its cash value. It’s a good idea to also have a return point at the exit for people who don’t want to wait in line. Some events even donate those deposits to charity as an added incentive.

2. Washing

Washing systems are another crucial aspect. You can partner with specialized cleaning services for off-site washing, or set up on-site washing stations if your venue has the necessary infrastructure. Both options have their benefits and should be chosen based on your event’s size and resources.

First, calculate the cost to rent a larger number of cups (without intermediate washing) versus the cost of intermediate washing and renting fewer cups to determine the more cost-effective option.

For on-site washing, you’ll need water and electrical connections, detergent, and bins to stack cups. Place the washing station near the bar to facilitate easy circulation of cups. It’s best to go with a dishwasher, as it’s more hygienic and requires less manual labor. Remember to ensure there’s enough space for cups to cool after coming out of the dishwasher.

3. Staff

You’ll need extra personnel to manage reusable event cups properly. On the other hand, you can often cut the clean-up team by half to compensate.

It’s best to appoint a single person responsible for all matters related to cups: getting used cups to storage or washing stations, keeping inventory up at bars, briefing staff and reporting any problems.

On top of that, plan extra staff for:

• Logistics (handling inventory and storing used cups): add an extra staff member per 3000 visitors.
• Returning deposits: cashiers can handle this, as they’ll have less to do near the end of events. You may want to add an extra cashier per 3000 visitors to handle deposits.
• With eco-tokens: employ an extra person for every 3500 visitors, only needed at the start of the event to hand out eco-tokens.
• On-site washing: count on an extra staff member for every 500 visitors if you use exclusively reusable cups.

4. Storage and hygiene

It’s important to take into account that reusable bar cups take up 6-25 times more space than single-use cups, depending on how they are stacked. Make sure to check in advance how much storage you’ll need to provide.

If you’re washing on-site, remember to ensure enough time for the cups to dry completely after the final wash. Otherwise they can get contaminated and be left with a musty smell.

5. Communication

Finally, make sure to properly communicate the necessary details to the right people. Both your staff and attendees will need to know how your system works for it to be effective.

Wrapping up

Switching to reusable cups is a significant step to make your events more sustainable and future-proofing them for ever more stringent regulations. While it doesn’t come without challenges and will require careful planning at first, the benefits go beyond sustainability, as you’ll reduce waste and clean-up costs, improve your brand’s image and make the overall experience of your event even better.

We hope this detailed preparation guide will help you plan out your strategy for a smooth implementation.

As you prepare to implement reusable cups, consider reusable cup holders to complement the shift. As you reduce plastic waste significantly, you don’t want to leave those cardboard cup trays littered on your event grounds.

The Original Cupkeeper is an excellent alternative to cardboard cup holders. Beyond it’s eco-friendly materials and long lifespan, it offers superior functionality and an elegant opportunity for branding a valuable souvenir for your fans.

We’re glad to serve you on your path towards greener events and wish you a wonderful day.

Source:

This guide is largely based on a detailed manual from OVAM created by ecofest. It is only availably in Dutch, though. If you do speak Dutch, we highly recommend reading through the manual, but we’ve done our best to cover the most important points here.

There is also an English guide to reusable cups, albeit with less detail, published by RAW foundations in collaboration with the Association of Independant Festivals (AIF) and Kambe Events, a sustainable event management consultancy.