GETTING STARTED WITH REUSABLES

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As a society, reducing single-use packaging is one of the easiest and most important ways we can reduce our environmental footprint.

Did you know that Australians use over 1.8 billion single-use cups each year alone? That’s over five million a day (Source: Sustainability Victoria).

Luckily for hospitality businesses, promoting reuse can help you save packaging, increase profits and create a positive impact and atmosphere in your community.

That being said, knowing where to start can often be the hardest part, so we’ve done it for you.

Below, we’ve listed our favourite ways to increase reuse, along with extra information about cost, set up and ease of use so you can decide what's right for you. Many of these options can be implemented together. We suggest you start small and go from there.

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SIGNAGE

Displaying signage that promotes reuse in your cafe does a few things. Firstly, it shows customers that you do accept reusable cups and containers. After Covid, people are still confused about reusables, so simply letting them know you accept them is a great start. Secondly, it shows that you care about reducing waste and are a conscientious community member. You can also use signage to promote any BYO discounts or single-use surcharges. If you don’t want to create your own, feel free to download our signage here, or join your local Plastic Free Places project and we’ll provide you with free signage and advice. Hot tip: framing your signs is a great way to protect them and show your customers that you value the message within.

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ENCOURAGE DINE-IN

Encouraging dine-in gives you an opportunity to upsell food and extra drinks to your customers, all while having extra time to build relationships and create loyal customers. You can use signage, ask the customer “Would you like to have here?”, and create an inviting environment with things like coffee table books, newspapers, plants, music, ambient lighting, blankets etc.

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BYO DISCOUNT

Who doesn’t love a discount? Everyone does! By promoting a discount for bringing your own cup or container, customers are more likely to do it. We suggest pricing the cost of the single-use cup and lid into your standard price. If you offer customers a 20c discount for bringing their own cup, it therefore won’t affect your bottom line.

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SINGLE-USE SURCHARGE

These days, it’s common practice to pay for single-use bags. This is done to deter people from doing so. You can apply the same logic to coffee cups, bags or cutlery at your cafe! Price your items without the packaging included and advertise that it is +20c or +50c if they would like takeaway packaging. For this to be effective, it should be combined with alternatives for customers, such as borrow cups and bags, adequate dine-in space, signage encouraging BYO etc.

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BYO LOYALTY CARDS

We all know about regular loyalty cards, but why not switch over to BYO loyalty cards instead? We’ve worked with many businesses who are being swamped in loyalty cards (especially those who keep the cards on premises). We suggest a transition period of one month so you can communicate the change with your customers. Buy 9 coffees in a reusable cup and get the 10th free. You can include dine-in coffees as well.

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BYO HAPPY HOUR

Many cafes experience lulls at regular intervals and would like to see a bit of extra trade during those times. A BYO happy hour is a good incentive to activate these times. If you have consistently slow periods between 10am-11am and 2pm-3pm, make these your happy hour times. You can charge whatever you like, but it’s the same concept as an alcohol happy hour. You want to entice customers to come-in with a good deal. The catch? They need to bring their own cup, or no discount!

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REUSABLES LIBRARY

Just like a regular library but with mugs, keep cups, plates, jars or bags - your choice! Instead of choosing single-use packaging, your customer simply borrows a cup or container from your library and returns it next time they come back. We suggest asking for donations from local community groups, your customers or local councils. Cafes tell us that their customers love this and often go out of their way to bring back what they borrowed.

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REUSABLE SWAP NETWORK

Cup and container swap networks work well for cafes with high volumes, regular customers or who utilise order ahead options through apps. While they all function slightly differently, the broader concept is similar: they’re a third party system where customers borrow and return items to any cafe who is part of the network. These work well if you put time and effort into educating your customers, and include benefits like additional marketing for your business, training, system integration and cleanliness assurance, but do generally incur a fee. You can explore your options using our Reusable Systems Guide. Of course, these systems will cost you a small fee, but if you are after a system that allows you to track your cups and containers and look uniform, these can be a great option.

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SELL BRANDED REUSABLES

This one is a double business whammy! Not only do you encourage reusables, but you also generate profit. As an incentive, offer the first cup of coffee for free. Popular brands include Fressko, Joco, Frank Green, and Keep Cup.

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DIGITAL STORYTELLING

It’s no secret that social media is a powerhouse that can be incredibly beneficial for your business. Whether you do it yourself or outsource your social media, emphasising your sustainable actions can reach new audiences, improve your business perception and allow people the opportunity to participate in reuse incentives. These days, video content is popular, especially on Instagram and TikTok. Have fun making videos and create your own unique brand personality!

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STAFF TRAINING

‍Specific staff training on reusables and your sustainability ethos is absolutely essential. You need your people to be on board with your mission, for they are the ones at the helm when you aren’t there. Training staff to offer reusables and know why you are doing it is extremely valuable, and over time, will attract people with a similar ethos to come and work for you.

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INCENTIVES

Both customer and staff incentives can be extremely useful when trying to increase reuse. Want customers to reuse? Give them a fun excuse to! We have seen customers really get on board with incentives such as ‘magic mug libraries’, ‘sustainable customer of the month’ and raffles. Post your competition updates and draw winners on social media to spread news further.

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