Ditching the disposables: how we’re reducing single-use cups on campus
By: Ellie Evans
Last updated: Monday, 24 February 2025
Nearly one in five coffee lovers on campus are now bringing their own cup to our cafes, according to the latest figures.
In December, 19% of people buying a hot drink in our Sussex Uni Food outlets used their own cup – an increase of 5% from October.
We aim to recycle half of all our waste on campus by the end of 2025 – and you can help us to reduce waste and save money by bringing your own cup if you’re buying hot drinks on campus.
Forgot your own cup? No problem!
In September, we launched a returnable cup scheme for just £3.95 and so far, 650 people have joined in.
It’s really easy: you buy a returnable cup which you can swap for a keyring token when you’re finished, then get a fresh cup the next time you order. Plus, your first coffee is absolutely free!
Keen to take part? We’ll be giving away 25 tokens for the returnable cup scheme at the end of January – just follow @sustainablesussexuni and @sussexunifood on Instagram and look out for the giveaway.
Expanding the returnable cup scheme
You can now buy returnable cups or swap your token for a cup in the newly revamped Arts Piazza Café.
The only place where you can’t buy a returnable cup or use your token at the moment is Doctor’s Orders, and we’re working on ways to reduce the amount of single-use cups there.
The scheme was expanded to Arts thanks to cash from our £25,000 Sustainability Fund. The fund, from our catering partners to be spent in agreement with the University each year to help reduce the carbon impact of the catering service across our campus, has paid for a new dishwasher; it also covered the initial investment in the returnable cups.
What else are we doing?
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There is currently a 20p surcharge on single-use cups to encourage people to bring their own mug
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We are looking at ways to recycle disposable cups and lids as well as expanding other recycling options here on campus, as this A-Z of recycling explains
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Our Sussex Recycles campaign aims to help students and staff better understand what they can recycle, with new posters in all our residences on campus and stickers on the shared bins.
How you can help
We’re looking for Eco Champions to volunteer for an hour and encourage other café-goers to use their own cups. We also want helpers to show Eat Central diners how to use the recycling banks there.
Staff can earn Green Impact points for helping out, while students can bank five Spirit of Sussex Award points.
To get involved, email sustainable@sussex.ac.uk and we’ll send you all the information.
This work supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 13 (climate action).You can read more about our work on the SDGs here.