Good Reusables

Focus: Closing the loop on single-use coffee cups.​

Background: Cafés in Bermagui have joined forces to take a bold step towards eliminating single-use coffee cups by adopting the Good Reusables system. Good Reusables, a NSW based social enterprise, is dedicated to replacing single-use packaging in the hospitality industry with practical, scalable reuse solutions.​

Circular innovation: Through a deposit-return system, customers at participating cafes receive a food-grade. BPA-free, low carbon polypropylene cup with their coffee, which they can either reuse or return at any participating café Australia wide. Locally, returns are conveniently accepted across Bermagui, Cobargo, Narooma, Pambula and Eden cafes. Each Good Reusables cup can be used up to 1,000 times before being returned to the Australian manufacturer for shredding and recycling – ensuring a truly circular system. ​

Impact and future development: Bermagui is the first town in Australia where cafés have collectively phased out single-use coffee cups. This initiative is expected to prevent 200,000 disposable cups from ending up in landfill every year while keeping local waterways free from waste. By using Bermagui as a model, Good Reusables has gathered the logistical data and processes needed to scale the system nationally – helping more communities make the shift away from single-use.​

For more information: www.goodcup.au.​