Eurobodalla cafes join Green Caffeen program ahead of June plastics ban

In a first for the region, cafe patrons will soon be able to have their coffee to-go in a free, reusable cup as an Australian start-up eyes the Eurobodalla amid its statewide expansion.

On the eve of the single-use plastics ban, South Coast cafes are eyeing a reusable revolution as Australian start-up Green Caffeen up-ends the takeaway coffee experience.

After kicking off in Kiama in 2018, Green Caffeen’s reusable cup program has spread to areas across the country, with new initiatives starting recently in the nearby Snowy and Capital regions.

The program supplies cafes with free reusable cups which are checked out to customers. Patrons use an app to assign themselves the cup, use it, and return to any participating cafe.

Green Caffeen’s chief project officer, Sarah Hollingworth, said patrons have 30 days to reuse or return the cup to a cafe, where it is professionally washed and reused.

“A customer could, for example, pick up a coffee in Kiama, scan the code in the cafe, and then drive down to Batemans Bay and grab another coffee there,” she said.

Green Caffeen’s chief project officer Sarah Hollingworth in Bundanoon after the launch of the reusable up program in the area. Picture: Green Caffeen

So far, Ms Hollingworth said eight cafes in the Eurobodalla have already signed up, including:

• The Mossy Cafe, Mossy Point
• The Boat Shed Cafe, Mossy Point
• Smokey Dans, Tomakin
• Gundary Bakers, Moruya
• Shelley’s Takeaway, Moruya
• Escape Place, Batemans Bay
• Ambers Cafe, Batemans Bay
• Pistachio, Narooma

The program is being supported by the Eurobodalla Shire Council, which Ms Hollingworth said allowed the Green Caffeen to inject as many cups into the area as possible.

“We are partnering with local councils, which is fantastic because it gets us into different regions,” she said.

Alex King is a sustainability officer with the council’s We Care environmental program. She said the local government had been working with businesses to help them transition away from plastics.

On June 1, single-use plastic bags will be banned across the state, with further prohibitions coming in November outlawing many commonly used single-use plastics, including:

• plastic straws and stirrers
• plastic cutlery
• plastic plates and bowls without spill-proof lids
• crockery and cups made from expanded polystyrene
• plastic cotton buds
• rinse-off personal care products with plastic beads

Ms King said the council had pre-empted the ban by already focusing on helping businesses to transition away from the five “problematic” plastics: bottles, straws, containers, plates or bowls, and plastic bags.

“The plastic ban has definitely changed the conversation that I have with businesses from talking about the impact of plastic on the environment, which definitely still is at the forefront of the reason why I think we should be moving away from plastics,” Ms King said.

“The focus at the moment is also to prepare for the transition, in preparation for the upcoming bans. This includes replacing single-use items with those made from materials such as bamboo, cardboard, paper, and sugar cane, which is an awesome one.

“Things that are going to break down if they end up in the environment.”

Ms King said businesses are reliant on the region’s natural environment for tourism, and were respectful of it when it came to measures such as the plastics ban aimed at protecting flora and fauna.

Eurobodalla Shire Council sustainability officer, Alex King. Picture: Eurobodalla Shire Council

“No one likes walking down the street and seeing litter everywhere or birds washed up on the beach with plastic in their tummies,” Ms King said.

“There’s so much that we do that can negatively impact the environment if we don’t make the right choices. So, I guess by making this transition, it allows us to exist in a way that is a little lighter.”

While coffee cups will still be allowed after the November bans, Ms Hollingworth remains hopeful that future bans will address the issues they cause to the environment, too.

The Green Caffeen program is already eyeing further expansion in the region, with partnerships in Queanbeyan and the Canberra region.

For the iconic Canberra-coast weekend travellers, It won’t be far off that they’ll be able to pick up a cup in Canberra, and return it to Batemans Bay, Moruya, or Narooma.

“It’s exciting to see the program grow,” Ms Hollingworth said.