Nelson City Council and 19 cafes across the city have launched an initiative to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups going to landfill.

From Thursday, 25 July 2024, the participating cafes are offering a discount of between 30c and $1 if customers bring their own clean, reusable coffee cup.

It's estimated that 295 million beverage cups (including coffee cups) are disposed of every year in New Zealand. Although coffee cups appear to be cardboard, they’re lined with plastic meaning they cannot be recycled. Consumers bringing their own cups is an easy and effective way to reduce the number of single-use cups heading to landfill each year.

A launch event was held at three cafes across Nelson - Rust Kitchen & Eatery, Little Dove and Tozetti. Rust Kitchen was the first to sign up for the initiative.

“Sustainability is a major focus of ours, getting involved in the Bring It campaign made sense,” says Owner Ian White from Rust Kitchen & Eatery.

“We’ve teamed up with Grassroots Recycling to be a collection point to help in the effort to divert tetra-pak cartons ending up in landfill, and we’re a part of the sustainability community Foodprint NZ to divert food waste. We already encourage customers to bring reusable cups through a discount, so we’re thrilled to see this initiative rolled out through Nelson.”

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith donned an apron and was on hand at Rust to help launch the campaign.

“The pace of a cafe and the buzz at 8am is quite different to my office at 8am,” laughs Mayor Nick. “We can all make a contribution to reducing waste going to landfill. This initiative is one of many that Council, business and individuals can do to lessen our impact on the environment. I’m encouraged by how many people came through the cafe who are already put this into practice.”

Other Councils across NZ have launched similar initiatives. Last year, Hamilton City Council launched its project and that resulted in more than 2,000 disposable cups being diverted from landfill in just six weeks. Nelson’s ‘Bring It’ campaign is based on the name and branding from New Plymouth District Council’s initiative.

“The Bring It campaign is part of a larger discussion we're currently having about how to reduce or even avoid waste,” says Nelson City Council Waste Minimisation Adviser Karen Lee.

“Nelson and Tasman Councils are reviewing our joint waste plan. It’s an opportunity to not just consider how we manage waste but how we reduce it, or even avoid creating it in the first place. Waste is everyone’s problem, and we all have a role to play in the solution. The little things we can all do will, together, make a big difference.”

Participating cafes have a poster in store, or you can find the full list at nelson.govt.nz/bringit

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