The ‘Refill Don’t Landfill’ campaign supports Western Sydney communities to activate circular economy principles in the region and to step away from single-use products that generate unnecessary waste.
Western Sydney councils have partnered on a new program with swap-and-go pioneers GreenCaffeen to implement a new, sustainable solution to single-use disposable cups.
The ‘Refill Don’t Landfill’ project launched in March 2020 and is implemented under the Waste Avoidance tenet of the Western Sydney Regional Waste Strategy 2017-2021. In consultation with the region’s Resource Recovery Officers, single use cups were selected for the campaign. In Australia, more than 1 billion disposable cups are thrown away every year[i].
Councils participating in the Refill Don’t Landfill campaign have strongly supported the initiative, as beneficial to businesses and the community. Local cafes and café-goers are engaged as part of the targeted campaign, encouraging interactive engagement on social media and the use of the program’s free app.
Councils participating are Blacktown City Council, Hawkesbury City Council, Fairfield City Council, Liverpool City Council, City of Parramatta Council, Penrith City Council and The Hills Shire Council.
Australian business Green Caffeen is committed to reducing waste generated by disposable cups. The swap-and-go system functions similarly to using a library book; it is free for cafes and café goers to use, but a small fee applies if you don’t return your cup within the 30 day timeframe.
The cups are designed and manufactured in Australia, using 90 per cent recycled materials.
The Green Caffeen program is in place across Australia and has been growing since 2017. Western Sydney’s involvement, as a large and expanding region, is an exciting development in the program.
HOW IT WORKS
Get the Green Caffeen app to find cafes and keep track of your ordering.
- Order your coffee in a green Caffeen cup
- Use the app to update your order status: Grab, Swap, Drop
- Scan your phone camera at the scan code sticker
- Remember to drop your cup back within a month.
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC: NOT-SO-FUN FACTS
- In Australia, 50,000 disposable coffee cups go into landfill every 30 minutes.
- Of the more than 448 million tons of plastic produced globally every year, 40 per cent is created as disposable – including takeaway cups and packaging that is discarded within minutes after purchase.
- In 2018, scientists went so far as to declare disposable plastic a hazardous material.
- Single-use disposable coffee cups are one of the most contaminated forms of waste, and one of the lowest market value single use products
This project is a NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, Waste Less Recycle More initiative, funded from the waste levy.
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