#TakeItBack

Latest research suggests over 388 million single-use cups are used in Scotland each year*. At best, 4% of these cups are recycled. The rest end up as waste: in landfill, the incinerator or as litter.

Keep Scotland Beautiful have worked with Glasgow City Council, Dundee City Council, the National Cup Recycling Scheme (NCRS), it’s members (including McDonald's, Burger King, Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Pret A Manger, and Greggs), Starbucks and Hubbub, to raise awareness of the opportunities across Glasgow and Dundee to #TakeItBack. You can take any brand of single-use coffee cup back to these stores for recycling.    

Find the stores where you can #TakeItBack on the National Cup Recycling Scheme's map.

Typical single-use hot drink cups can not go into standard recycling bins or be recycled at home.  To avoid cups ending up in landfill, it is really important to #TakeItBack.  So, even if you forget your reusable cup, you can still help reduce the impact of single use if you #TakeItBack.

* Zero Waste Scotland (2022) Consumption of Single-use Disposable Beverage Cups in Scotland 

In July 2023, we teamed up with the National Cup Recycling Scheme and Starbucks to encourage people who use single-use takeaway cups to #TakeItBack to one of 121 participating stores across Glasgow and Dundee, regardless of brand, ensuring that cups were properly recycled and not sent to landfill. 

To find out more, you can download our case study, watch our reel or keep reading below. 

The key learnings from our #TakeItBack campaign were:

• Staff engagement and training are essential at a store level.

• Clear, visible in-store campaign signage must be in place.

• In-store cup recycling infrastructure must be in place and clearly visible.

• Data from stores on the volume of cups sent to recycling is essential.

• Public education is needed to reduce consumption, as well as on the correct disposal of single-use cups.