Highland Cup Movement

What was Highland Cup Movement?

We celebrated the conclusion of Cup Movement® in the Highlands with the release of our legacy report and video.

More than 1,000 single-use cups were saved thanks to the innovative large-scale reusable cup pilot scheme in the Highlands which was linked to the route of the iconic NC500.

Cup Movement® in the Highlands ran from April to October 2023 and was designed to promote the use of reusable cups and reduce the number of takeaway drinks sold in single-use cups.

The pilot was one of six projects across the UK funded through the Bring It Back Fund, a £1.4 million fund from environmental charity Hubbub and Starbucks, and utilised innovative app technology from cup system suppliers Vytal.

During the pilot, a total of 1,051 cups were checked out by nearly 270 users, with a 92% return rate.  Across the 24 participating businesses there was a 27% increase in customers using their own reusable cup.

The participating businesses continue to accept customers' own reusable cups for takeaway drinks. 

While the majority of cups were returned to the same business they were borrowed from, some cups were returned at destinations across the NC500.  One cup, borrowed in Inverness, was returned to a business in Germany!

Find out more in our news story, our legacy report and video.   

 

We began the project with research into the views of residents, visitors and businesses in the Highlands.  

Problem with single-use cups

Single-use cups are complex to recycle, resulting in most of them being incinerated or sent to landfill

Concern on single-use cups

There is an environmental cost in the production, transportation and waste collection of single-use cups.

Choose to reuse

Switching from a single-use to a reusable cup is an action you can take to reduce your environmental impact and can often save you money too 

 

Borrow, Enjoy, Return, Repeat

Businesses that participated in the Highland Cup Movement network still accept your reusable cup.
For the businesses continuing to work with Vytal, it is easy to borrow a Vytal cup.  All you need to do is download the Vytal app before you order your takeaway drink and either show your customer QR code or follow the steps on the Vytal app for self check-out. There is no additional cost if you return your cup within 14 days. 

Your account will be linked with a payment method. If you do not return the cup within 14 days, you will be charged £4 and become the owner of the cup. There is no cost for borrowing a Vytal cup if you return it within 14 days.
* PLEASE NOTE: now that the pilot has ended, the number of businesses using the Vytal cups has reduced.  Please check the Vytal app for participating businesses or plan to return your cup to the business where it was borrowed. 

 

The links will take you to either the App Store or Google Play to download the Vytal app. You must have created an account on the Vytal app before you order a takeaway drink in a Vytal cup.

Celebrating Cup Movement® in the Highlands

Enjoy our legacy video to see the highlights of the pilot and feedback from some of the participating businesses.  

For more detail, see our Cup Movement® in the Highlands legacy report. 

Following the success of Highland Cup Movement we're continuing to work with German returnable packaging system Vytal to support the switch to reusables in the Highlands.

Original Highland Cup Movement network

Find the businesses who participated in the Highland Cup Movement. These businesses will accept customers own reusable cups for takeaway drinks.

 

The live counter below shows the number of single-use cups which have been saved at the businesses in the Highland Cup Movement network:

Returnable Packaging Pilot: A Highland Cup Movement Legacy

The Highland Community Waste Partnership has launched its latest intervention to reduce packaging waste and promote more #CosnciousConsumption.

Building on the success of the Highland Cup Movement, this pilot will give businesses the chance to try a returnable food and drinks packaging scheme for free.

By allowing customers to access reusables at the point of sale, schemes like this make it easier than ever to #ChooseToReuse and reduce the waste and litter created by single-use packaging.

The pilot is available between now and December 2024 and Highland businesses are invited to sign up, on a first come first served basis.

Find out more

Get in touch

For any enquiries, please email cups@keepscotlandbeautiful.org

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