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#ChooseToReuse

Food and drink on-the-go has become an indispensable part of our busy lives and consumer habits.

However, the constant stream of single-use items and packaging that this generates is creating unsustainable amounts of waste and litter. Is the convenience worth it?

More and more people are choosing to consume more responsibly, by switching to reusable alternatives such as bottles, cups and even food containers.

#ChooseToReuse and help reduce the impact of unsustainable consumption locally and around the world.

11 billion

items of packaging waste are generated each year in the UK by our lunch on the go habits.

55%

of sites in Scotland are littered with food and drink packaging.

47

free take-away drinks a year are available through discounts on reusable cups.


Reuse on-the-go

There are a lot of single-use items associated with food and drink on the go, but our campaign is starting simple and focusing on three key items that can make a big difference:

Reusable water bottles

Carrying a water bottle is a great way to make sure you stay hydrated and save some money whilst doing so by avoiding bottled drinks. To keep topped up, use the Refill app to find your nearest water refill station.

 

Reusable cups

Most cafes are accepting reusable cups -some will even offer you a discount on your drink. Depending on the scheme, your reusable cup could earn you up to 47 free drinks a year!
Especially if you have a regular routine, like a commute to school or work when you pick up a hot drink, make packing your reusable cup a daily habit. 

 

Reusable lunch boxes

A growing number of take-away food retailers now accept reusable lunch boxes. See if your favourite food take-away can put your food in your own lunch box.

Promote #ChooseToReuse in your business

Businesses have a crucial role to play in supporting the switch to reusables.

Not only can you help your customers by providing them with more sustainable options, but this can also reduce the amount of packaging and waste in your operations.

Visit our #ChooseToReuse page for businesses, to learn how you can play your part, from simple tips to bigger changes.

Get involved

Refill app

The Refill app from City To Sea is designed to help you reuse where ever you go, by providing a handy map of your nearest locations that will refill your water bottle, accept your coffee cup or let you shop packaging free.

Download it now to find out where you can #ChooseToReuse.        

Highland Cup Movement

Even with the best of intentions, we don't always have a reusable cup to hand when we fancy a take-away drink. The Highland Cup Movement was one of six projects across the UK, funded through the Bring It Back Fund, to pilot returnable packaging systems.

Linked to the iconic NC500, the pilot utilised technology from Vytal and ran from April to October 2023. A total of 1,051 cups were checked out by 269 users, with a 92% return rate. There was also a 27% increase in customers using their own reusable cup!

Read the report

The impact of single-use

Research into the impact of single-use and the difference switching to reusable could make.

Ditching Disposables

The Ditching Disposables initiative from Zero Waste Scotland worked with businesses to reduce use of single-use items that were the subject of a 2021 ban, including plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery and plates, as well as polystyrene cups, lids and food packaging. Their report shares learnings from the pilot around what worked best.  

Read more

Food-To-Go Report

This report from City to Sea provides useful insights into the current state of packaging use in the on-the-go food and drink sector and what can be done to change things.

Read full report


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