The life cycle of reusable cups is an interesting one. After all, the words reuse and recycle have green connotations and so what we thought would be a good idea is to demonstrate the life cycle of a reusable cup from the initial manufacturing stage through its reusable life and ultimately through to the recycling stage at the end of its life.
The life cycle of reusable cups from start to finish
As you can see from this image, a reusable cup starts its life being manufactured from raw materials that have been sourced and is made into a reusable cup. It then goes to festivals, concerts, arena events and so on, being washed after each use. In order to do this, transport to and from the venues is required.
The complete closed loop cycle
This reuse, transport, wash, transport, reuse, transport, wash, reuse cycle continues hundreds of times, though the amount of times a reusable cup can be successfully washed and sanitised very much depends upon the material used for the reusable cup in the first place.
Different plastics have different wash capacities
A polypropylene cup, for instance, can be washed around 250-300 times before the quality starts to deteriorate. A polycarbonate reusable cup, for instance, as offered by the team here at Event Cup Solutions, can be washed in excess of 500 times, making it the perfect material for reusable cups and glasses and ensuring that this reusable cup life cycle is maintained.
Furthermore, the great thing about polycarbonate cups is the fact that they have the appearance of glass and – to a large degree – the feel of glass through do have some flexibility – it is plastic after all!
This enables it to comply with H&S regulations for large scale outdoor events, for instance, and it is something that large beer brand marketers love as it is the closest thing you will get to the pint served in a glass in a pub. With brands all about consistency of delivery including the temperature, the size of the head and the carbonation, our polycarbonate reusable cups are the obvious choice for many, way ahead of polypropylene in terms of the end user experience.
After the 500+ uses, our polycarbonate plastic reusable cups are 100% recyclable, the materials for which are then returned back into the manufacturing process to complete and close the loop, something which isn’t necessarily the case for more standard polypropylene cups.
Of course, there are various elements involved in this cycle, from the volume and origin of the raw materials in the production process through to the efficiency of the transport and wash facilities. With four regional wash centres around the country, Event Cup Solutions is perfectly placed to minimise the amount of miles travelled to and from festival sites, for instance, compared to our competitors.
Furthermore, once we have received the cups back at these wash centres – as an integral part of the life cycle of reusable cups – our custom made industrial washing machines are some of the most efficient in terms of water and energy consumption in the UK.
The fact that our reusable cups are being washed in these locations and in these efficient machines means that festivals and events can be sure that their reputation is protected – after all, there’s no better solution for servicing venues around the country than with our reusable cups solution in terms of miles travelled and the reduction in carbon footprint as part of the life cycle of reusable cups – something that is already important to many, and something that over time will grow even more in importance without doubt.
Ideal for almost all event professionals
If you are a festival organiser, stadium facilities manager or outdoor event planner, for instance, and are looking to move into the world of reusable cups for your venue, please don’t hesitate to contact the experts here at Event Cup Solutions to discuss how we can help one another. Reusable cups are also highly relevant for creative agencies and even behind the scenes event hire companies to offer their customer-facing clients.
We can offer you a range of different styles of reusable cups for cold drinks including pints, half pints, tumblers, reusable plastic wine glasses and even reusable champagne flutes, and you can choose to hire or buy from this range. We also offer reusable coffee cups at the same time. Why not also check out our ONE Planet ONE Chance® reusable pints and half pints, providing you with reusable cups with an environmental message to reinforce your green credentials as an event and keep sustainability at the forefront of people’s minds.
Hopefully our schematic about the life cycle of reusable cups is interesting and informative for you. Our experts will be delighted to provide you an initial consultation along with some samples to demonstrate how our solution could you save you time, money and effort and, importantly, move your venue towards a greener, more sustainable future. Contact us today – We look forward to hearing from you soon and if you need any clarification about the life cycle of reusable cups, then we’ll be happy to answer your questions…and look forward to working alongside you at your upcoming event!
