Starting in January 2020, all food outlets across campus will charge an additional 25¢ for each drink sold in a single-use cup. This is part of the UBC Zero Waste Strategy that aims to reduce 80% of disposable food ware by 2030.
The AMS has always been at the forefront of sustainability and we’re proud to support this UBC initiative at all our food outlets, starting with disposable cups at Blue Chip Cafe.
It’s easy to skip the 25¢ charge by choosing one of these alternatives:
- Bring your own mug (Be on the lookout for AMS travel mugs giveaways coming soon!)
- Order your coffee ‘for here’ in a ceramic mug (Do you know why coffee tastes better in a ceramic mug?)
- Use Mugshare and support UBC student entrepreneurs’ ventures
But if you are having one of those days and you have no choice but to pay for a cup, you still will be helping. All money collected from the disposable cup charge will be directed toward our other sustainable programs at the Nest.
UBC ZERO WASTE FOODWARE STRATEGY
A recent report about the marine impact of UBC’s single-use plastics showed that 1.7 million coffee cups 2.3 million pieces of plastic cutlery and 690,000 plastic bags were consumed on campus in 2017. If these items are not disposed of correctly, they could end up in our oceans causing pollution and damage to the marine wildlife.
In this sense, the Zero Waste Food Ware Strategy aims to divert 80% of all waste from landfills by 2030, decrease waste disposal to landfill each year and reduce the generation of waste by promoting a circular economy.
The first phase of this strategy is to reduce single-use cups by 80% in the next ten years. But also, there are plans to reduce single-use food containers, cutlery, plastic straws and bags as well as to train staff, students and faculty on how to recycle and sort waste properly.