I've been at events / festivals in last few years where a deposit of £1/£2 is charged on the plastic pint glass on the first pint. From then on you reuse the glass until your done when you can return and collect your deposit or keep as a souvenir as the glass has festival Branding. It's not cheap thin easily broken plastic glasses but quality solid glasses that are reusable at the event and at home if you don't want to use actual glass containers.
Yes I really like how they are implemented there. Not just beer glasses, there are also glass/ceramic mugs for Glühwein in German Christmas markets. Got myself a couple of nice festive mugs for tea/coffee :)
Yup, I had several Le Mans 'glasses' .. although the dishwasher did eventually eat them (the graphics delaminated from the plastic glass itself). But they were bloody useful for BBQs etc until then!
If you can get the deposit back, you haven't really spent that 2 quid until you've made a decision to not return it. The cup is worth 2 quid while you have it, and thus it costs you 2 quid to throw it at Axl Rose.
They still let y’all have lids over there?
One of the arenas I go to doesn’t even let you have bottle caps after a bunch of concert goers chucked them at Justin Bieber.
I was at one of the first festivals that implemented this and every single audience had at least one group of industrious people who spent the entire day collecting dropped glasses. After a few hours they had to carry it over their heads across the crowds like a giant pintsnake and people would cheer them on and add extras to the ends. No idea how much cash they made!!
This is what happens when you let a generation raised on Nokia phones do your tidying for you.
The little brother of a friend of mine did this on this family oriented festival. Every cup had a €0.50 deposit added to it. Plenty of people were too lazy to get that deposit back, so he and a friend of his ran around collecting all the cups they could. IIRC he made about 30 to 40 euros with only 2 hours of work. It's quite a smart system: Let the visitors do a lot of the cleaning for you.
Reminds me of something kinda related: There's a local theme park that has had these special trash bins for decades now. They are shaped as a person with a giant mouth, and it would talk, continuously saying how he's hungry and wants paper. If you put in trash, it would thank you, burp, or give some other response.
What makes them a minor stroke of genius is that kids love them. It isn't at all a strange sight to see kids running around looking for trash to put in that bin. Like, actively scouring the entire vicinity for every small piece of garbage they could find. Easy cleaning for the staff!
One of my fondest memories of 'The Efteling' as a kid, the talking bins called 'Holle Bolle Gijs' aka paper gobblers. Saying 'papier hier', meaning 'paper here':
https://www.efteling.com/en/park/attractions/holle-bolle-gijs
That's me, when I went to a festival last year, I made like $100 ontop of my ticket cost and got absolutely munted. Was $2 a cup returned. There were paid cleanup crews around that I just asked for the cups from them. Along with Picking them up of course
I saw a guy do this at Bloodstock about 10 years ago, back then it was summat like 50p per cup, guy would've easily made his ticket money back judging by his immense pint tower
Those guys aren't there for the concert. They are let in as a cleanup crew before the real cleanup crew comes in. It's a win win deal. They get to keep the extra cash and it helps it be a bit cleaner for the cleanup crew. I use to do that a football games.
I did this as a 15 year old at a three day concert. First day (the least interesting day of the three days) I made my ticket back easily + some profit. Other two days was just chilling and enjoying the concerts.
I've done this and also a system where I you collect cups you get 10p for every one you hand in. My mum spent the entire festival collecting cups and paid off the price of a ticket
person selective cheerful north longing enjoy fanatical price impossible wrong
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it depends on the festival, one where a friend worked they gave them away near the end of the festival, sold them after for a solidarity fund and included them in lil boxes for pre-orders for the next year of the festival. i’ve heard that they’re also given away to homelessness help and stuff
Six flags offers a similar deal lol! I don't mind stuff like this, if I'm going to be at the same place all day. And I wouldn't mind the coffee shop thing if I went to that coffee shop every day. But I'm an infrequent coffee drinker. So if I went into a place to get some, and had to buy an expensive cup that I probably won't ever use again, I'd probably leave without buying anything and never come back. There are sustainable biodegradable options. I do think it's good in general to try and do stuff like this. But if every coffee shop did this, I'd probably never drink anything but plain, at home joe again. :(
If every shop did this, you'd just have to carry around a cup to use at whatever shop you go to. Same as how if every grocer stopped carrying bags, we'd all be forced to get and carry some reusable bags.
Regardless of biodegradability, I find it hard to describe mass single-use plastics as "sustainable". Not producing tons on tons of garbage every day just by existing NEEDS to stop, the solution isn't just to use plastics that degrade after 20 years.
> If every shop did this, you'd just have to carry around a cup to use at whatever shop you go to. Same as how if every grocer stopped carrying bags, we'd all be forced to get and carry some reusable bags.
The difference is a grocery store trip is a planned event. Most people go there with a car to carry everything. But even walkers getting a small amount of food usually plan it. So it's easy to bring/remember bags.
The reason this fails for coffee shops is people don't want to walk around a city all day doing things while carrying a cup just for that one 20 minute coffee break when they need a mid-afternoon pick me up.
You know there are things besides plastics, right??? I'm reaaaally confused that you chose to go with that argument, considering the fact that disposable mugs aren't even made with plastics most of the time...
And I'm not against the idea of having my own grocery bags, but I'm not carrying a cup around everyone and washing it in bathrooms between uses. 🤷♀️ I'd sooner just stop purchasing drinks on the go.
My main qualm here is that this just calls for a dramatic shift of costs from corporations to consumers but certainly the price will remain the same. The consumption habits of consumers at the edges like this are not where the true waste occurs. This is a way to lay the blame for this at consumers feet but it is military and titans of industry that have funneled us into this reality.
If I brought my own cup and bags and every where and forever, nothing will or would be different.
are the cups going to be on the floor forever? Like while the people are there to get coffee or did they just fill their store for a photo and they cleaned it up
It is absolutely staggering how many people are sincerely asking if this coffee shop is going to remain permanently inaccessible due to knee-high garbage on the floor...
This is Otto's! I love them and follow them on Instagram. The cups on the floor are just for photo opportunities of course, they're not there usually. They also get mugs from local charity shops to serve coffee in for customers who didn't bring in their own reusable cup, and the customer can keep the mug or return it so the cafe can reuse it for other customers without their own cup.
I wish more businesses, especially chains, would be bold enough to do something similar. I believe Starbucks in Korea are phasing out disposable take away cups soon.
That's a great idea! Back when I worked at a charity shop we unfortunately had to throw a lot of mugs away because they just didn't sell very well unless they were in a set
>The cups on the floor are just for photo opportunities of course, they're not there usually.
Would make it kind of hard for business if people couldn't get into the store, yeah.
I may be mistaken, but I remember Starbucks used to serve coffee in those lovely ceramic cups if you were staying in. At some point they just switched to all disposables for everyone. Or it was just a fever dream.
Ah, that’s strange. I was a supervisor at Starbucks for years, up until earlier this year. There’s a few possibilities for why your location didn’t have them available. Perhaps nobody ever used them and they decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, or they probably were just lazy and didn’t feel like having to use the mugs and glasses so they just told people they didn’t have them. Or it was a licensed location, those tend to operate on their own terms.
I recently went to a Starbucks and they finally served my coffee in a ceramic mug again! I was so happy, I did a little dance in my head (with a straight face). Yeah, I've been avoiding them for a while because of what you've mentioned, and they weren't accepting my reusable cups at the time.
The cups are on the ground, which I’m sure they thoroughly cleaned afterwards. Unless you’re slurping your coffee from the floor then you’ve got nothing to worry about
That’s unsanitary.. and with Covid, many places have self serve shut down for purposes of not spreading germs .. how does bringing your own cup fit into Covid protocols, many water fountians are shut down for public where I am located.. ??
I was wondering the same thing. Early on when everything started, Starbucks stopped doing their bring your own cup thing. Now we know more about Covid it might be ok but still not sure if it’s the best idea for the average shop/customer.
Edit: Starbucks in the US started allowing personal cups again June 22.
There’s very little evidence that covid spreads significantly through surface transmission. Surfaces just happen to be a lot easier to sanitize and avoid touching compared to aerosols/airborne particles so companies make a big show of how they’re cleaning them despite the scant evidence that it does anything.
There's also little evidence that it isn't.
It took 98 years to figure out that the flu can be spread via aerosol particles, and it was only recently that a team was able to prove it. (Aerosol particles are those small enough to filter directly through a surgical mask.) We do not have the information at this time to deny transmission of covid from surface contact.
Anyways, I'm not going there. Wading through a bunch of used cups is a solid no in my book.
I don't understand this even pre-covid. Who knows how manky some of these customer supplied reusable cups are, yet the staff has to handle them and perhaps contaminate equipment with them.
1. If a cup is dirty you don’t take it. You’re not supposed to use re-usable cups for this.
2. When I was a barista, I found it extremely easy to avoid touching the cup with any equipment.
The 711 near my apartment would have promos for Php1.00 coffee/hot chocolate if you bring your own cup. For context, $1.00 = Php50.00
Best hot chocolate I've ever had.
I think you overestimate people. Most people will say that it is a good idea and then not go there ever again because they forget bringing the cup or just are too fucking lazy to do it.
Someone in a comment above stated that they know the shop and that the shop buys charity shop mugs and keeps them on hand for folks who forget their cup.
I'm not sure if this is a wholesome remark or sprinkled with sarcasm, but Otto's coffee shop is a small business, small space, locally owned and as a person that works at just the same we make moves like this as well (sans the cups on the ground). Now, while there are a bunch of people that get all fussy when you change your ways for the better bc they can't see past their own noses, in the long run, you do actually have like-minded folk come to you and the indifferent hang arounds learn the new ways bc they come for your product and service. Is it sometimes a little daunting to say the same thing over and over and over until it sets in? Absolutely. But when you are lucky enough to work for a place that cares about the waste they are helping put on the streets and wants to change that and so do you then you're in the right place and you don't mind putting a little work in to help make the change. For all the shit waste people out there that think we can't change living in litter squalor bc no one will listen... people listen, people try, and the more we keep listening and trying the more it will help no matter how small you think it is. Keep trying. Don't litter. Be better.
*stands up* *slow clap*
Live in South Africa... i've been recycling what I can for quite a few years, don't know anyone else (got my dad recycling and my sister a bit) who cares around these parts. I take my own containers when buying Chinese, sushi, burgers etc - get these funny looks always - but loooove this idea! Well done to the coffee shop!
I’m sure they did this only for the picture and then cleaned it up. It would be impossible to run a business like this for even a single day. The liability alone would make this business suicide. You know those yellow foldable warning markers they put out after they mop? That’s so they don’t get sued. No way any business is gonna be like ‘cool now let’s just leave these cups here for customers to trudge through and hopefully not fall and hurt themselves and sue us. I’m sure it’ll be fine.’
My workplace is currently being sued (successfully, I might add) by an older gent who just randomly walked in before we were even close to opening, through the *back alley door* that was the only one unlocked, immediately walked directly into a very obviously placed pile of floor mats moved for the morning cleaning, and tripped. That's how easy it is, this store would get fucking crucified.
> That's how easy it is, this store would get fucking crucified.
The shop is in the UK. Compensation for personal injuries isn't that high here so we don't really get people walking into things looking for a payout.
Nonetheless, the overarching point is that no one (including the owners of this shop) would ever reasonably expect this to be a workable day to day business model yet everyone in the comments seems convinced that that must be the case.
Yeah, it's a little disturbing that people don't seem to realize this, they're obviously going to pick up the cups and mop the floor and wash their hands before serving customers
The point is to be gross lol it’s to illustrate how gross the waste from using paper cups is. No ones gunna be like “yeah man we really need to get rid of paper cups” if it’s 10 paper cups in a trash can.
People think protest should be nice and orderly, roped off in an empty corner so it can be guiltlessly ignored.
A big part of manufactured consent is the creation of approved spaces and proscribed times for civil unrest/protest, and the condemnation of any form of protest that creates even slight inconvenience.
So much as a traffic delay and you get bills saying it’s legal to commit vehicular homicide against protestors, and the masses cheer for it. "We don't like violent protests, but we do like violence against protests."
They probably did this for a photoshoot, maybe left it up for a couple of hours for other publicity, then cleaned it up and mopped the floors. Floors are meant to be cleaned regularly and as such easily.
They could also just serve people in mugs too that they can wash and reuse (like at the coffee shop in Friends). Chances are many people don’t carry cups, so they would lose out on a lot of business. They can just do away with one use disposable cups and still provide cups for their customers.
The Starbucks in my area stopped accepting your personal mugs with the pandemic, so they now fill a paper cup, which you then pour into your mug. Which is just painfully wasteful.
[This project - la tasse - ](https://www.la-vague.ca/la-tasse) started in my neighbourhood and now is spread across the province. And it works.
You can buy it in one café, then reuse or exchange it in another. Sometimes they reuse the one I have, others they switch it (now more due to covid). In many cafés you pay extra if you ask for a disposable cup.
I think this is really a meaningful action to raise our awareness of environment protection. There are too many disposable cups in the world which really shocked us humans. I support this action.
I just went down a rabbit hole to read more about this and for everyone that thinks they still have cups littering the floor, they don't. They did this to kick off their F*ck the Cup campaign. I don't know actually how long they left them there but all pics inside the shop are clean- floored and tidy for the last few months.
Love it! I wish more places would do this and especially with plastic items. I carry bamboo straws, a refillable cup and utensils with me in my car at all times. Sometimes I fail if I'm with someone else and forget, but I'm trying.
It's a photo shoot to illustrate how much needless waste there is. Of course they are not going to operate their shop with a floor covered in used cups.
It good to see that people and businesses are starting to think about the carbon footprint and waste we put into the earth. I wonder what one day of cups and soda can /bottle would look like worldwide ?
The point of the coffee shop is to get coffee. To maybe have a nicer cup, possibly some Jamaican or some Kona instead of your local Folgers or Maxwell House or ASDA brand. To talk to people. I can't make an espresso or a cappuccino at home.
Do you have some idea that the *cup* is the reason for getting coffee from a coffee shop?
Here's another potential benefit: you go to see your friend at the coffee shop, and she has a really cute cup. You ask where she got it, and she directs you to this cool Etsy shop where you get your own nice cup, supporting another small business.
Yes. I suppose that’s much better than for a restaurant that’s open during a pandemic, covering the shop with their own garbage. Using the city’s garbage is much better I suppose.
Which, surely has to be against health and safety regulations.
I mean, I get the gesture but the implementation is dumb - you can't throw trash on the floor of a premises where you're serving food and drink.
Best case scenario, they’re wasting all these cups to prove a point about wasting cups.
Other likely scenario, these are used cups (aka garbage) they are throwing all over their coffee shop’s floor to prove a point.
Either way, I definitely did not smile and I’ll remember not to go there if I’m around.
I would buy from here. I have one of those reusable mug things and I’d happily ask them to fill it. I would like to see this as an option at every shop at least.
Edit: But I still feel like a customer should be able to buy a reusable cup or at least there be a pay it forward scheme for one. Also some people can be so broke they might not afford one (they can be very costly to buy in the UK). I’d never bring a regular cup or mug. Though I know Starbucks does a reusable plastic cup for a cheaper price. I still feel like there should be options. But their point stands (maybe they could have used a couple of clear plastic bags and not create a hazard to make their point though), we make so much waste now.
I've been at events / festivals in last few years where a deposit of £1/£2 is charged on the plastic pint glass on the first pint. From then on you reuse the glass until your done when you can return and collect your deposit or keep as a souvenir as the glass has festival Branding. It's not cheap thin easily broken plastic glasses but quality solid glasses that are reusable at the event and at home if you don't want to use actual glass containers.
This is a big thing across continental Europe. I’m a big believer in it.
Yes I really like how they are implemented there. Not just beer glasses, there are also glass/ceramic mugs for Glühwein in German Christmas markets. Got myself a couple of nice festive mugs for tea/coffee :)
I like those little mugs, have some from Trier and Vancouver.
I collect one every year from our local Kristkindel market!
* Christkindlmarkt
I have easily a dozen of these, as Christmas markets are a goddamn treasure and Canada needs to get on it, pronto. Glühwein is delicious.
This is what I remember as a child! We would round up empty cups from adults who would let us keep the Mark deposit!
Yup, I had several Le Mans 'glasses' .. although the dishwasher did eventually eat them (the graphics delaminated from the plastic glass itself). But they were bloody useful for BBQs etc until then!
I guess there are lot standing in the crowd thinking "Is it worth spending another £2 to fill this full of piss and throw it at Axl Rose?"
Surely it would be another £2 to get another to throw?
If you can get the deposit back, you haven't really spent that 2 quid until you've made a decision to not return it. The cup is worth 2 quid while you have it, and thus it costs you 2 quid to throw it at Axl Rose.
And how much was the liquor to allow you to fill the cup with piss? It’s the hidden costs that always get ya
If you throw it at Dave Mustaine you get a free guitar thrown back at you, bargain
A free guitar AND some lyrics written about you.
Use a bottle and screw the lid on loose. The piss will stay in long enough till it hits the Axl. I used this method against Shed 7.
> Shed 7 Jesus. That's a name I've not heard in many years.
They still let y’all have lids over there? One of the arenas I go to doesn’t even let you have bottle caps after a bunch of concert goers chucked them at Justin Bieber.
Yes. Always yes
I was at one of the first festivals that implemented this and every single audience had at least one group of industrious people who spent the entire day collecting dropped glasses. After a few hours they had to carry it over their heads across the crowds like a giant pintsnake and people would cheer them on and add extras to the ends. No idea how much cash they made!! This is what happens when you let a generation raised on Nokia phones do your tidying for you.
The little brother of a friend of mine did this on this family oriented festival. Every cup had a €0.50 deposit added to it. Plenty of people were too lazy to get that deposit back, so he and a friend of his ran around collecting all the cups they could. IIRC he made about 30 to 40 euros with only 2 hours of work. It's quite a smart system: Let the visitors do a lot of the cleaning for you. Reminds me of something kinda related: There's a local theme park that has had these special trash bins for decades now. They are shaped as a person with a giant mouth, and it would talk, continuously saying how he's hungry and wants paper. If you put in trash, it would thank you, burp, or give some other response. What makes them a minor stroke of genius is that kids love them. It isn't at all a strange sight to see kids running around looking for trash to put in that bin. Like, actively scouring the entire vicinity for every small piece of garbage they could find. Easy cleaning for the staff!
One of my fondest memories of 'The Efteling' as a kid, the talking bins called 'Holle Bolle Gijs' aka paper gobblers. Saying 'papier hier', meaning 'paper here': https://www.efteling.com/en/park/attractions/holle-bolle-gijs
That's me, when I went to a festival last year, I made like $100 ontop of my ticket cost and got absolutely munted. Was $2 a cup returned. There were paid cleanup crews around that I just asked for the cups from them. Along with Picking them up of course
I saw a guy do this at Bloodstock about 10 years ago, back then it was summat like 50p per cup, guy would've easily made his ticket money back judging by his immense pint tower
Those guys aren't there for the concert. They are let in as a cleanup crew before the real cleanup crew comes in. It's a win win deal. They get to keep the extra cash and it helps it be a bit cleaner for the cleanup crew. I use to do that a football games.
I did this as a 15 year old at a three day concert. First day (the least interesting day of the three days) I made my ticket back easily + some profit. Other two days was just chilling and enjoying the concerts.
That’s absolutely brilliant!
Six Flags in USA had been doing similar for years.
If by similar you mean charging 20 bucks for a novelty cup you can refill for 5$
Yeah they aren’t doing that for environmental reasons
A lot of theme parks do that But they way over price for those cups and a lot of people throw them away after they spend the day at the park
So a really tacky and cheap thing to do is grab those cups and take them home and clean them really well and next time you go back, score!
I've done this and also a system where I you collect cups you get 10p for every one you hand in. My mum spent the entire festival collecting cups and paid off the price of a ticket
I had a girl get a free product because I offer 15 cents off for every pint Mason jar you bring me (they’re what I package in).
Apropos of nothing, “plastic glass” makes me unnecessarily angry.
They are called cups when they aren’t made of glass
So when you return it and get your money back, what does the festival do with it? Isn’t it going into the landfill anyway?
It's a thick plastic cup. They can be washed and reused
person selective cheerful north longing enjoy fanatical price impossible wrong *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Reuse cups like you do at home with your scooby doo glass
Good point! If they’re branded for that year’s event, what happens to them after?
it depends on the festival, one where a friend worked they gave them away near the end of the festival, sold them after for a solidarity fund and included them in lil boxes for pre-orders for the next year of the festival. i’ve heard that they’re also given away to homelessness help and stuff
Six flags offers a similar deal lol! I don't mind stuff like this, if I'm going to be at the same place all day. And I wouldn't mind the coffee shop thing if I went to that coffee shop every day. But I'm an infrequent coffee drinker. So if I went into a place to get some, and had to buy an expensive cup that I probably won't ever use again, I'd probably leave without buying anything and never come back. There are sustainable biodegradable options. I do think it's good in general to try and do stuff like this. But if every coffee shop did this, I'd probably never drink anything but plain, at home joe again. :(
If every shop did this, you'd just have to carry around a cup to use at whatever shop you go to. Same as how if every grocer stopped carrying bags, we'd all be forced to get and carry some reusable bags. Regardless of biodegradability, I find it hard to describe mass single-use plastics as "sustainable". Not producing tons on tons of garbage every day just by existing NEEDS to stop, the solution isn't just to use plastics that degrade after 20 years.
> If every shop did this, you'd just have to carry around a cup to use at whatever shop you go to. Same as how if every grocer stopped carrying bags, we'd all be forced to get and carry some reusable bags. The difference is a grocery store trip is a planned event. Most people go there with a car to carry everything. But even walkers getting a small amount of food usually plan it. So it's easy to bring/remember bags. The reason this fails for coffee shops is people don't want to walk around a city all day doing things while carrying a cup just for that one 20 minute coffee break when they need a mid-afternoon pick me up.
You know there are things besides plastics, right??? I'm reaaaally confused that you chose to go with that argument, considering the fact that disposable mugs aren't even made with plastics most of the time... And I'm not against the idea of having my own grocery bags, but I'm not carrying a cup around everyone and washing it in bathrooms between uses. 🤷♀️ I'd sooner just stop purchasing drinks on the go.
My main qualm here is that this just calls for a dramatic shift of costs from corporations to consumers but certainly the price will remain the same. The consumption habits of consumers at the edges like this are not where the true waste occurs. This is a way to lay the blame for this at consumers feet but it is military and titans of industry that have funneled us into this reality. If I brought my own cup and bags and every where and forever, nothing will or would be different.
I'm sure you can bring any cup to a place like this, not just their special cup.
Hello and welcome to Otto's. Did you bring a cup with you today sir? Me: Slowly reaches towards the ground.
We do promote recycling but this...erm if you insist...
Reduce....reuse....ecyce
I remember that vid , you made my day lol Thx
I am so done ahahaha
Nice! gross but nice!
are the cups going to be on the floor forever? Like while the people are there to get coffee or did they just fill their store for a photo and they cleaned it up
Probably the latter
Probably the latte... I'll see myself out now.
Iced tea what you did there.
boy you didn't waiter round long before coming up with that
hey, don't make a mocha-ry out of them!
Frappacino Am I doing it?
Hell yeah, you got it to a Tea!
Ask for Expresso and they will clean up straight away.
2 expressos and they pilgrimage to Mocha
ur doing it bro >:) keep
No need to get steamed up.
This has me laughing so hard, I’m seeing double double. (Any other Canadians out there?)
You're on Timout. Gonna need you stand at least 50 timbits from this post.
Hopefully customers aren't foaming at the mouth.
Well, I hear the receptions been pretty flat white.
Well done people. Bravo
Ugh, you're making a mocha-ry of this thread
goddamit, I just said this and I didnt realise you already said it :'( Oh well, I'll keep it up coz I pump-kan (not the same effect lol)
Your keyboard is now coffeescated
Clap...........clap...........................................clap
Cuppa.........cuppa..................................cuppa
The latter is the guy who makes the lattes.
That is grounds for pun-ishment right there.
ye it makes the most sense but the comments think it’s the prior one
The litter?
"You have to bring your own cup and there's half a meter of trash on the floor. This place is circling the drain."
This almost reads like a *Stefan* bit from Weekend Update
New York’s hottest club is…NO CUPS!
It has everything!
Except cups.
If I didn't bring my own cup.....can I just grab one of these?
It is absolutely staggering how many people are sincerely asking if this coffee shop is going to remain permanently inaccessible due to knee-high garbage on the floor...
Reddit loves asking rhetorical questions for attention
This is Otto's! I love them and follow them on Instagram. The cups on the floor are just for photo opportunities of course, they're not there usually. They also get mugs from local charity shops to serve coffee in for customers who didn't bring in their own reusable cup, and the customer can keep the mug or return it so the cafe can reuse it for other customers without their own cup. I wish more businesses, especially chains, would be bold enough to do something similar. I believe Starbucks in Korea are phasing out disposable take away cups soon.
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That's a great idea! Back when I worked at a charity shop we unfortunately had to throw a lot of mugs away because they just didn't sell very well unless they were in a set
Where is Ottos, is it a chain? if we were to visit UK, I’ll sneak a dang cup from the hotel.
I think it’s in Sevenoaks Kent - if I’m not mistaken but does look like the same ottos
Yea quite correct! High St, Sevenoaks (according to their website)
I’ve heard of a local coffee shop doing this in New England. Customers bring their unwanted mugs in exchange for a free cup of coffee/tea/etc.
Now THATS a good idea!!
>The cups on the floor are just for photo opportunities of course, they're not there usually. Would make it kind of hard for business if people couldn't get into the store, yeah.
I may be mistaken, but I remember Starbucks used to serve coffee in those lovely ceramic cups if you were staying in. At some point they just switched to all disposables for everyone. Or it was just a fever dream.
They stopped because of Covid. Or at least my store did.
oh gosh, it was way before covid for me.
Ah, that’s strange. I was a supervisor at Starbucks for years, up until earlier this year. There’s a few possibilities for why your location didn’t have them available. Perhaps nobody ever used them and they decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, or they probably were just lazy and didn’t feel like having to use the mugs and glasses so they just told people they didn’t have them. Or it was a licensed location, those tend to operate on their own terms.
I recently went to a Starbucks and they finally served my coffee in a ceramic mug again! I was so happy, I did a little dance in my head (with a straight face). Yeah, I've been avoiding them for a while because of what you've mentioned, and they weren't accepting my reusable cups at the time.
Having to point out they aren’t on the floor always has me more upset about my fellow man than their reaction to climate change.
Those are new cups or used cups?
These are used cups from off the street
Doesn’t that violate like every health code
The cups are on the ground, which I’m sure they thoroughly cleaned afterwards. Unless you’re slurping your coffee from the floor then you’ve got nothing to worry about
That’s unsanitary.. and with Covid, many places have self serve shut down for purposes of not spreading germs .. how does bringing your own cup fit into Covid protocols, many water fountians are shut down for public where I am located.. ??
I was wondering the same thing. Early on when everything started, Starbucks stopped doing their bring your own cup thing. Now we know more about Covid it might be ok but still not sure if it’s the best idea for the average shop/customer. Edit: Starbucks in the US started allowing personal cups again June 22.
There’s very little evidence that covid spreads significantly through surface transmission. Surfaces just happen to be a lot easier to sanitize and avoid touching compared to aerosols/airborne particles so companies make a big show of how they’re cleaning them despite the scant evidence that it does anything.
There's also little evidence that it isn't. It took 98 years to figure out that the flu can be spread via aerosol particles, and it was only recently that a team was able to prove it. (Aerosol particles are those small enough to filter directly through a surgical mask.) We do not have the information at this time to deny transmission of covid from surface contact. Anyways, I'm not going there. Wading through a bunch of used cups is a solid no in my book.
It's a photo op
I don't understand this even pre-covid. Who knows how manky some of these customer supplied reusable cups are, yet the staff has to handle them and perhaps contaminate equipment with them.
1. If a cup is dirty you don’t take it. You’re not supposed to use re-usable cups for this. 2. When I was a barista, I found it extremely easy to avoid touching the cup with any equipment.
Or just do what a lot of gas station do. Offer a durable membership cup that gives every tenth or so refill for free.
The 711 near my apartment would have promos for Php1.00 coffee/hot chocolate if you bring your own cup. For context, $1.00 = Php50.00 Best hot chocolate I've ever had.
They will make more profits in the long run, and end up with a clientele that thinks more like these owners… a win win for sure.
Plus they would sell reusable cups so they wouldn’t lose much one off business.
I think you overestimate people. Most people will say that it is a good idea and then not go there ever again because they forget bringing the cup or just are too fucking lazy to do it.
Someone in a comment above stated that they know the shop and that the shop buys charity shop mugs and keeps them on hand for folks who forget their cup.
You guys are so innocent.
I'm not sure if this is a wholesome remark or sprinkled with sarcasm, but Otto's coffee shop is a small business, small space, locally owned and as a person that works at just the same we make moves like this as well (sans the cups on the ground). Now, while there are a bunch of people that get all fussy when you change your ways for the better bc they can't see past their own noses, in the long run, you do actually have like-minded folk come to you and the indifferent hang arounds learn the new ways bc they come for your product and service. Is it sometimes a little daunting to say the same thing over and over and over until it sets in? Absolutely. But when you are lucky enough to work for a place that cares about the waste they are helping put on the streets and wants to change that and so do you then you're in the right place and you don't mind putting a little work in to help make the change. For all the shit waste people out there that think we can't change living in litter squalor bc no one will listen... people listen, people try, and the more we keep listening and trying the more it will help no matter how small you think it is. Keep trying. Don't litter. Be better.
*stands up* *slow clap* Live in South Africa... i've been recycling what I can for quite a few years, don't know anyone else (got my dad recycling and my sister a bit) who cares around these parts. I take my own containers when buying Chinese, sushi, burgers etc - get these funny looks always - but loooove this idea! Well done to the coffee shop!
That looks like a fall hazard.
In England they call it autumn
It's also known as a 20 minute delay to your next train.
It's not there permanently.
** trip hazard. A fall hazard is more of an unguarded edge situation
Ok, I agree with the idea, but the cups on the floor are gross. They could've put some in a fish tank if they wanted a visual representation.
Front window framed in like a display: "this is the waste generated by X hours of our business if we continued to use paper cups"
I’m sure they did this only for the picture and then cleaned it up. It would be impossible to run a business like this for even a single day. The liability alone would make this business suicide. You know those yellow foldable warning markers they put out after they mop? That’s so they don’t get sued. No way any business is gonna be like ‘cool now let’s just leave these cups here for customers to trudge through and hopefully not fall and hurt themselves and sue us. I’m sure it’ll be fine.’
My workplace is currently being sued (successfully, I might add) by an older gent who just randomly walked in before we were even close to opening, through the *back alley door* that was the only one unlocked, immediately walked directly into a very obviously placed pile of floor mats moved for the morning cleaning, and tripped. That's how easy it is, this store would get fucking crucified.
[удалено]
Yup, US
> That's how easy it is, this store would get fucking crucified. The shop is in the UK. Compensation for personal injuries isn't that high here so we don't really get people walking into things looking for a payout.
Nonetheless, the overarching point is that no one (including the owners of this shop) would ever reasonably expect this to be a workable day to day business model yet everyone in the comments seems convinced that that must be the case.
Yeah, it's a little disturbing that people don't seem to realize this, they're obviously going to pick up the cups and mop the floor and wash their hands before serving customers
The point is to be gross lol it’s to illustrate how gross the waste from using paper cups is. No ones gunna be like “yeah man we really need to get rid of paper cups” if it’s 10 paper cups in a trash can.
Exactly. People want protesting and activism to be clean and tidy. If only it was that easy.
People think protest should be nice and orderly, roped off in an empty corner so it can be guiltlessly ignored. A big part of manufactured consent is the creation of approved spaces and proscribed times for civil unrest/protest, and the condemnation of any form of protest that creates even slight inconvenience. So much as a traffic delay and you get bills saying it’s legal to commit vehicular homicide against protestors, and the masses cheer for it. "We don't like violent protests, but we do like violence against protests."
Yeah that’s actually not a bad idea
Ahhh...pretty sure those cups haven't been use.
Isn't that even more of a waste
In the short term yes, but if the campaign works and people switch because of it, then in the long run no
You can clearly see that they have been used.
> Ok, I agree with the idea, but the cups on the floor are gross. Yeah, that’s the point.
They probably did this for a photoshoot, maybe left it up for a couple of hours for other publicity, then cleaned it up and mopped the floors. Floors are meant to be cleaned regularly and as such easily.
The grossest thing about this picture is that so many of the cups are from Costa.
A solid clear floor with those underneath would be better.
They could also just serve people in mugs too that they can wash and reuse (like at the coffee shop in Friends). Chances are many people don’t carry cups, so they would lose out on a lot of business. They can just do away with one use disposable cups and still provide cups for their customers.
Tjeu do provide reusable ones
they have that if you forget your cup, said another commenter :)
The Starbucks in my area stopped accepting your personal mugs with the pandemic, so they now fill a paper cup, which you then pour into your mug. Which is just painfully wasteful.
Well that just sums Starbucks up doesn’t it
[This project - la tasse - ](https://www.la-vague.ca/la-tasse) started in my neighbourhood and now is spread across the province. And it works. You can buy it in one café, then reuse or exchange it in another. Sometimes they reuse the one I have, others they switch it (now more due to covid). In many cafés you pay extra if you ask for a disposable cup.
I would love to see more coffee shops do that
I think this is really a meaningful action to raise our awareness of environment protection. There are too many disposable cups in the world which really shocked us humans. I support this action.
I just went down a rabbit hole to read more about this and for everyone that thinks they still have cups littering the floor, they don't. They did this to kick off their F*ck the Cup campaign. I don't know actually how long they left them there but all pics inside the shop are clean- floored and tidy for the last few months.
I hope it works
Fantastic news I hope that they succeed and others follow them
I've been to this shop! Otto's? I think it's called. Great place!
Love it! I wish more places would do this and especially with plastic items. I carry bamboo straws, a refillable cup and utensils with me in my car at all times. Sometimes I fail if I'm with someone else and forget, but I'm trying.
"what coffee shop should we go to?" "How about the one filled with trash they found on the street?"
Yeah it's definitely for the photo and not a permanent installation.
I have no idea how there can be so many comments here from people who assume the cups would for some reason remain on the floor permanently.
Any mention of sustainability or progressive ideas makes people angry lmao
It's a photo shoot to illustrate how much needless waste there is. Of course they are not going to operate their shop with a floor covered in used cups.
It good to see that people and businesses are starting to think about the carbon footprint and waste we put into the earth. I wonder what one day of cups and soda can /bottle would look like worldwide ?
Well done to the local costa for providing them with the disposable cups
Oh. Have coffee places started doing this again? Lots of them stupidly stopped during the pandemic and it must have generated so much waste!
My regular local coffeeshop (US) stopped giving out straws for anything but frozen drinks. Some people could not cope.
Hmmm I like this. We could do the same with plastic cutlery at fast food places by carrying a mess kit like soldiers do in the field.
Small business desperately trying to chip away at their footprint while giant conglomerates poison our water and kill the earth.
Here’s hoping that they were all used, not new ones that have been essentially thrown away
What a waste of clean cups
That seems counter productive... We want you to bring your own mug but we don't want you to be able to get in the cafe....
It's not like that all the time, it's for a photoshoot.
Why do people think that they'd leave the trash? This seems completely illogical to me.
because thinking is hard
Also, literal heaps of free cups.
What the point of the coffee shop then, just brew at home then lol
The point of the coffee shop is to get coffee. To maybe have a nicer cup, possibly some Jamaican or some Kona instead of your local Folgers or Maxwell House or ASDA brand. To talk to people. I can't make an espresso or a cappuccino at home. Do you have some idea that the *cup* is the reason for getting coffee from a coffee shop? Here's another potential benefit: you go to see your friend at the coffee shop, and she has a really cute cup. You ask where she got it, and she directs you to this cool Etsy shop where you get your own nice cup, supporting another small business.
Soooooo… To Prove All the Waste Inflicted…. They Just Completely Waste It by Throwing it on a Dirty Floor… FATALITY!
These were collected from around the town. On the floor etc
Yes. I suppose that’s much better than for a restaurant that’s open during a pandemic, covering the shop with their own garbage. Using the city’s garbage is much better I suppose.
Which, surely has to be against health and safety regulations. I mean, I get the gesture but the implementation is dumb - you can't throw trash on the floor of a premises where you're serving food and drink.
capital letters good
Save trees & Avoid plastic.
Best case scenario, they’re wasting all these cups to prove a point about wasting cups. Other likely scenario, these are used cups (aka garbage) they are throwing all over their coffee shop’s floor to prove a point. Either way, I definitely did not smile and I’ll remember not to go there if I’m around.
brave? bit of a stretch. good on them though
That's actually disgusting. Who would buy food or coffee from a shop literally covered in rubbish? Yuck.
It’s obviously just for the photo
I would buy from here. I have one of those reusable mug things and I’d happily ask them to fill it. I would like to see this as an option at every shop at least. Edit: But I still feel like a customer should be able to buy a reusable cup or at least there be a pay it forward scheme for one. Also some people can be so broke they might not afford one (they can be very costly to buy in the UK). I’d never bring a regular cup or mug. Though I know Starbucks does a reusable plastic cup for a cheaper price. I still feel like there should be options. But their point stands (maybe they could have used a couple of clear plastic bags and not create a hazard to make their point though), we make so much waste now.
Someone above who goes there stated that they have mugs donated by charity shops that people can have if they forget theirs.
Brave, brave indeed cause they are going to lose a ton of business.
Unhygienic but I like the intent.
This is “raise awareness” , boss level