Our Impact in Action:

Borrow Cup 

Ready to skip the disposable cup? Introducing Borrow Cup– a brand new returnable cup scheme for Glasgow, available at over 50 locations including Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero, Burger King and local cafes.

In partnership with creative charity Hubbub, Reposit launched Borrow Cup in Glasgow on 27th January 2025 to demonstrate how a collaborative model can improve the success of a returnable cup scheme, and understand how it can become environmentally, commercially and operationally viable. We’re aiming to achieve this through:’ 

  • Scale: A pioneering collaboration with independent cafes and major brands, to create a critical mass of participating stores and a high density of return points. 

  • User experience: A simple user journey with minimal friction points (no apps or sign-ups), designed based on behavioural insights, to improve convenience and appeal. 

  • Measurement: Cup tracking, reporting data and independent lifecycle analysis will measure uptake, returns and environmental impact, to determine how the system can become environmentally and financially viable. 

The problem

How many drinks in single-use cups do you have in a year? Well, in Scotland over 388 million disposable cups are used every year*, and in Glasgow they make up over 30% of drinks waste in on-street bins**. Personal reusable cups are a solution to this, but are often forgotten at home or inconvenient to carry with us. This is where a returnable cup system comes in, allowing people to borrow and return a reusable cup from a cafe, bar or restaurant. 

 

When a returnable cup system works, it can have a lower environmental impact than single-use cups, because producing and recycling or disposing of single-use cups can create more carbon emissions than using reusable cups over and over again.. 

 

So how does it work?

Where can you find a borrow cup?  

Find all participating locations on the map here! Our partners are: 

  • Costa Coffee – 11 locations 

  • Caffè Nero – 14 locations 

  • Burger King – 12 locations 

  • Tinderbox – 5 locations 

  • Sprigg – 3 locations 

  • Kelvingrove Gallery - 1 location

  • Glasgow City Chambers – 2 locations 

  • Plant Blonde – 2 locations 

If you’re a business or organisation in Glasgow that uses disposable cups and are keen to join the scheme, or host a return point, get in touch!

Want to spread the word about Borrow Cup? Drop us an email to receive our comms pack and help promote Borrow Cup to your network.

For additional information and FAQ’s please also visit https://hubbub.org.uk/borrow-cup.

*Zero Waste Scotland, 2022, **Keep Scotland Beautiful, 2024