PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Cafes around Portland are cutting down on disposable cup waste through a reusable cup network — offering customers the chance to borrow cups with help from a mobile app.
The Portland metro area goes through about one million disposable cups per week, according to Deb Gray, founder of Okapi Reusables. As an alternative to the waste, Okapi Reusables provides cups to participating cafes.
In addition to its Portland metro area locations, Okapi Reusables is also in the San Francisco Bay area and is expanding in Washington, Gray said — adding they are in about 40 cafes in total.
Customers can take part by downloading the Okapi Reusables app, pay a one-time $10 membership fee and scan a code to borrow and return cups at the cafes.
Portland’s Fetch Coffee Roasters, which participates in the reusable cup program, says the reusable cup network is beneficial, especially as some customers forget to bring their own cups in an effort to reduce waste.
“We have a lot of people that really want to do the right thing but it’s inconvenient,” said Sarah Witter, Fetch Coffee Roasters owner. “So, this offers an alternative where they don’t have to remember, they can just borrow right there, and it tastes so much nicer and stays nice and hot.”
Fetch Coffee Roasters is also offering an incentive for customers to use reusable cups by adding a 25-cent charge to orders in disposable cups.