Say goodbye to single-use cups in the Educatorium! (At least for now)

Attention coffee/tea drinkers! Between 20th May and 30th June, the Educatorium canteen @ UU will be getting rid of all disposable cups and taking part in a ‘Return-Reward-ReUse’ system of re-usable cups. To really make a long-term impact, we need your help!

How does this initiative work?

You read it right. You will not be finding any single-use cups in the Educatorium canteen during this period, but the Tu-Gu project (which receives some support from Green Office Utrecht) is offering you an easy waste-free alternative, and even free drinks.

Single-use cups in the Educatorium have now been replaced with reusable ones which can be picked up and scanned at checkout, and returned to the café environment so that they can be reused time and time again. Those who take part and return a cup, get rewarded with a FREE drink once they've used the system five times.

To show that student support for a more circular way to stay alive (with reference to your unhealthy dependance on teanine/caffeine), come by the Educatorium, pick up a cup, and follow the instructions in the sign below.

What was the problem with single-use cups?

Have you ever thought about the impact that all of those single-use cups you use might be having? Life as a student is stressful, and offers little time to think, so it makes sense that you would be reaching for the easy solution when trying to get your kick of caffeine between classes. Many students tell themselves that the negative impact of this decision is offset by recycling, but they might be in for a rude awakening.

The reality is that most of the single-use cups used at Utrecht University are not recyclable; most-notably those paper cups distributed by vending machines, as they actually have a plastic ring within their rims. The confusion around this may explain why single-use cups were one of the categories of waste which were incorrectly being placed in plastic recycling bins, leading to the temporary stopage of plastic recycling in some buildings, due to too much contamination (as per an internal announcement by FSC).

At the end of the day however, single-use cups are never a sustainble solution, whether they are recyclabe or not. No waste is always better than recycled waste, so come take part in this project and voice your support for a future with gittery coffee-drinkers that can enjoy their fix with a clean conscience!

For more information on what can and cannot be recycled at the UU, check out this handy infographic.

Green Office Utrecht (GOU) is Utrecht University’s central sustainability hub where fresh minds and hands come together to support Utrecht University’s sustainable development. Green Office Utrecht makes the university’s policy tangible in the everyday reality of its students and staff members by informing them, involving them and empowering them to act. Green Office Utrecht is active on four themes: Food, Biodiversity, Mobility and Circularity.