No reusable cups? In Australia, you do so at your own risk.


This is partly thanks to people like Sam Power who stopped by at Alimentari, near the city’s Carlton Gardens, when he took a break from his job as an arborist the other day. Holding a shiny silver mug with a handle, she said she’s been pushing friends and cafe owners around town to return to reusable cups.

“I think half the time is laziness,” he said. “Sure, sometimes you can forget. My partner forgot his glass today. But mostly it’s laziness at work.”

Forsyth agreed and pointed straight at Starbucks’ branded paper cups. He said he’s been in contact with the company for years and encourages executives to embrace courage.

“What I always tell them is ‘be the first to act,'” he said. “People will give you high five for that.” In late 2019, a team from Starbucks’ sustainability group even came to Melbourne for a tour of discovery. “Then they disappeared and we never saw them again,” he said.

I asked Starbucks what the company had learned in Australia. A spokesperson said this was one of several trips around the world to study customer behavior.

But if there’s a lesson or two that Australia can take for Seattle’s giant and coffee lovers everywhere, it might be in the amicable, embarrassing experience I recalled above. In this case, baristas and customers alike signaled with a smile and contempt that I was an outlier who would benefit from joining the responsible coffee lovers club.

According to cafe owners, KeepCup’s first innovation was size: creating cups that fit regular orders and fit under espresso spouts. But baristas and customers alike joined forces to support this change because cups are not only easy to use, but better, cooler, more personal—more fun for me, and a trendy wink to like-minded friends and strangers. While many reusable cups still contain plastic, they are removing disposable cups from landfills.



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