Skip to content Accessibility statement
Eat, drink and shop at York
HomeEat, drink and shop at YorkEat and drinkSustainabilityDisposable cup charge

Disposable Cup Charge

Across all Eat and Drink outlets on campus, a 50p disposable cup charge applies to single-use plastic takeaway cups for hot drinks. This charge was introduced to encourage the use of reusable cups and reduce single-use waste.

All funds raised through the disposable cup charge are reinvested into sustainability projects delivered by Commercial Services at the University of York and York SU. This includes supporting student-facing initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Grant, helping to create positive environmental impact across campus.

Over 2m cups saved from landfill(based on reduction of single-use cup purchases)

Disposable Cup Charge Achievements

Donated £200
to Your Café, a project that was set up in order to benefit the local community
Donated £1,000
to the Tonne of Tins campaign for food banks in the local area
Donated £500
to student-led group Scoop
Cup recycling bins
Added single-use cup recycling bins around campus in partnership with Forge recycling. The ups are used to produce a range of sustainable items
Purchased aluminum cups
for Roses to make the event as plastic free as possible
250 bamboo lunch boxes
were given to students during Freshers
YORCUP
The disposable cup charge has played a vital role in funding the YORCUP scheme, by enabling the annual purchase of new cups and sleeves.
Too Wonderful To Waste
Partnered with York SU to offer students discounted food that would otherwise go to waste
Purchased recycled furniture
which will last 25 years
Purchased re-usable water bottles
for all new first year students living on campus
Partnered with Olio
and their Food Waste Hero volunteers to make sure edible food never goes to waste, but ends up benefiting the local community.

Sustainability Development Grant

The disposable cup charge is used to fund the Sustainable Development Grant Fund.

Sustainable Development Grant

Eat, Shop & Drink Sutainability

YORCUP