Using its returnable coffee cup strategy, a Danish city has reduced disposable coffee cup waste by 735,000 cups in one year.
Aarhus, Denmark, is reimagining how cities tackle disposable coffee cup waste. In January 2024, the city launched a three-year pilot program to reduce single-use cup consumption. It offers residents a small refund for returning reusable cups via deposit machines.
After just one year, the returnable coffee cup project has shown promising results, with over 735,000 cups returned and significant environmental benefits achieved.
The returnable coffee cup system, designed by Norwegian waste management company TOMRA, uses deposit machines strategically placed throughout Aarhus. These machines accept reusable cups and issue refunds of five Danish crowns (approximately 70 euro cents) directly to users’ bank accounts. The goal? To shift consumer behavior away from disposable options and toward a circular economy—an approach that prioritizes reuse and recycling to minimize waste.
To encourage participation, the city partnered with 45 local cafes that agreed to offer reusable cups alongside traditional disposable ones. Early adoption was slow, with only 25% of cups returned in the first few weeks. For reusable cups to outcompete single-use versions, they must be recycled at least six times, which requires an 82% return rate.
A breakthrough came during Aarhus Uke, a week-long city festival in September 2024. Organizers mandated that all retailers use the reusable coffee cups during the event. The festival generated widespread exposure, resulting in 100,000 cups returned, enough to fill 1,200 trash bins. This spike in awareness contributed to a behavior shift, with current return rates reaching 88%. Each cup is now reused an average of 44 times.
In its first year, the pilot exceeded expectations, collecting 735,000 returnable coffee cups, far surpassing its initial goal of 500,000. This effort saved 14 metric tons of plastic from incineration and reduced associated CO₂ emissions.
The program aims to collect 1.5 million cups annually by its third year, with plans to expand into neighboring cities and additional packaging types, such as food containers. If implemented nationwide, the system could significantly cut Denmark’s annual consumption of 500 million single-use packaging items.
The project’s success has garnered national attention. Aarhus’s initiative has been included in Denmark’s financial plan, securing funding for partnerships among municipalities, businesses, and restaurants. Scaling up to larger cities presents challenges, but the Aarhus model offers a blueprint for reducing urban waste.
Aarhus is part of a broader European movement to address plastic waste. Cities like Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris are strengthening their reuse systems to meet ambitious targets set by the European Union. Under the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), member states must cut packaging waste per capita by 5% by 2030, with further reductions planned through 2040.
Nathan Dufour, reuse systems manager at Zero Waste Europe, highlights the importance of local action. “Cities are leading where fragmented regulations have failed,” he says. However, significant financial and logistical challenges remain. Reuse systems require substantial investments in infrastructure, cleaning processes, and redistribution networks.
While Aarhus has set an example with returnable coffee cups, replicating the model in larger cities presents unique challenges. Denser populations and more complex logistics could complicate the collection, cleaning, and redistribution processes. Additionally, larger cities may face higher upfront costs for infrastructure and public outreach campaigns.
To overcome these challenges, policymakers need to provide strong financial incentives and legislative support. Levies on single-use packaging, strict reuse targets, and bans on disposable coffee cups could help level the playing field and encourage adoption.
Aarhus is not alone in its fight against plastic waste. Cities like Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris have implemented similar programs to reduce single-use packaging. For example, Berlin has introduced returnable coffee cup systems through partnerships with local businesses, while Paris is piloting reusable container systems for takeout meals.
In Australia, the “Green Caffeen” initiative allows customers to borrow reusable cups from participating cafes for free, returning them at any partner location. These examples highlight the potential for returnable coffee cup systems to work in diverse cultural and logistical contexts.
Aarhus’s returnable coffee cup program contributes valuable data to the global effort against plastic waste. Its success demonstrates that with the right policies and public engagement, reusable systems can effectively reduce the environmental footprint of disposable coffee cups.
As Aarhus looks to the future, its pilot program offers valuable insights into how urban communities can fight waste and make reuse systems the norm. The program’s success could inspire similar initiatives across Europe and beyond.
