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Sustainability

Commercial Services Catering and Hospitality plays a key role in the provision and support of more sustainable choices for our customers.

We are constantly striving to incorporate environmental and social considerations when choosing our suppliers, during production and the delivery of our services.

YORCUP
Join the reusable YORCUP scheme for £5 to get your first drink for free and avoid the disposable cup charge.
Disposable Cup Charge
We charge 50p for each single-use coffee cup, and every penny raised goes directly towards funding new sustainable initiatives.
Save 50%
Head to a participating outlet at the end of lunch to get 50% off hot and cold food.

Our sustainability milestones

2019

  • Introduced a disposable cup charge, raising over £194,326.85 to fund sustainability initiatives and community projects.
    Promoted plant-based eating by prioritising vegan and vegetarian dishes across menus and food counters.
  • Reduced plastics by removing straws, replacing plastic cutlery with wooden alternatives and using recyclable packaging.
  • Partnered with Forge Recycling to recycle single-use cups collected on campus.
  • Installed 25 giant cup recycling bins across campus for single-use plastic-lined cups, lids and leftover liquids. The bins are emptied by Forge Recycling, turning cups into items such as notebooks and pens.

2020

  • Launched bring-your-own cup and YORCUP schemes, reducing single-use plastic cups by 1.8 million to date.
  • Ran a single-use cup trial across four outlets, removing takeaway cups and encouraging customers to bring their own or join the YORCUP scheme.
  • Outsourced our food procurement, slimlining processes and reducing our carbon footprint.

2021

  • Launched Shop, Save and Sustain, our food waste reduction scheme.

2022

  • Committed to sustainable seafood by excluding fish on the Marine Conservation Society at-risk list and sourcing from accredited suppliers.
  • Switched YORCUP production to a local Doncaster manufacturer, reducing transport miles and supporting the local economy.

2022 / 2023

  • Invested in three new electric vans for delivered hospitality.

2024

  • Increased the disposable cup charge to 35p.
  • Achieved Food for Life Bronze accreditation across all campus outlets.
  • Over 78,000 cups have been recycled through our partnership with Forge Recycling.

2025

  • Increased the disposable cup charge to 50p.
  • Added CO₂e labelling to menus to help customers make informed choices.
  • Over 88,045 cups have been recycled through our partnership with Forge Recycling.
  • Expanded access to water refill stations across campus, with locations available via the MyUoY app.
  • Worked with the University of York app team to remove single-use loyalty cards by moving our loyalty rewards scheme fully into the UoY app, reducing plastic waste and paper use.
  • Replaced printers with screens in some of our kitchens, reducing CO₂e and paper use.
  • Partnered with York SU on Too Wonderful to Waste to reduce food waste and support student access to food. We redistribute surplus food from The Kitchen at Alcuin each Friday during semester. Funded through the University disposable cup charge.
  • Worked with local charity Blueberry Academy to provide valuable work experience for young adults in the local community with learning difficulties, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs