RECUP: reusable bowls and cups from Germany

RECUP offers reusable bowls and cups for over 20,000 outlets in Germany. Customers buy a bowl of soup, eat it at the office, then return it to receive the deposit back.

Translated from Euros, cups are rented for around £1 and bowls for around £5. It takes just 12 cup uses and 6 bowl uses for your business to start saving money, by not having to buy disposable food and drink packaging.

Each RECUP can replace up to 1000 single-use cups, and each REBOWL can be used up to 500 times. The cups are sold in various sizes to accommodate all needs, and are stackable to save space, and dishwasher-friendly.

Both items are shatterproof with an optional lid and divider to separate sauce. The bowls are in 3 sizes, leak-proof and heat-resistant up to 85 degrees C.

This brand was founded by two young men in Germany (one from eco-friendly Sweden). Who were astounded at the billions of single-use plastic cups and bowls being served each day (around 184 cups a second and 85 plates a second).

According to industry reports, cafés can spend anywhere from £2,000 to £10,000 annually on single-use packaging. This figure can vary based on the café’s size and customer volume. This is a no-brainer idea to switch!

Why choose reusable cups and bowls?

If you run a small sandwich bar or café, it’s not only good for the planet to switch to reusable containers for frequent customers. But it will also save money, for better profits. For passing customers, there are also better options than plastic food wrap and sandwich bags.

Typically these schemes work on a deposit basis. People pay a pound or more to rent the item, then return it either to the eaterie or ‘reverse vending machines’ (working a bit like deposit return schemes which England does not yet have,).

Research has shown that nearly 100% of customers like this idea, so you can also market that you’re offering this service, which attracts more custom.

Clingfilm is awful stuff, one of the few plastics that is mostly not recycled at supermarket bag bins (it’s the ‘film you can’t recycle’ on top of ready meals and ice-cream tubs). And since removing PVC, it doesn’t even stick properly. Manufacture causes ‘nurdles’ which look like fish food when it ends up in the sea.