Citizen Science Coffee Shop Research Campaign
Disposable cups have become a ubiquitous part of the coffee shop experience. Most disposable coffee cups are made from paper and a thin layer of plastic to make the cup waterproof. The plastic lining makes them difficult to recycle and there is no easy collection system for recycling paper cups in HK and most other places across the globe. Therefore, most cups don’t get recycled. More recently, paper cups and containers with an aqueous-based coating have been put on the market. The coating is made from small plastic polymers dispersed in water making these cups easier to recycle than plastic-lined cups, but it is impossible to tell the difference so they are also unlikely recycled without a dedicated collection system. Some are certified compostable, but there is very limited composting for packaging in HK.
If you use a disposable coffee cup, take it to one of the many Green@Community collection points. They will ensure that the cups (and other similar clean packaging) end up at the right recycling facility for proper handling. Do NOT put them in regular paper recycling bins unless the signage indicates you should.
PFS undertook research in 2018/19 (pre-Covid) and found that 67% of people sitting in a coffee shop drinking hot drinks were using a single-use cup. (Find more information about that research below.) We are conducting similar research this summer (2026), to assess the present situation.
What Can You Do To Help?
So far we have completed 264 surveys. We are continuing on this research until the end of September and aim to complete 400 surveys.
We are focusing on the largest coffee shop brands in HK: McCafe, Starbucks, Pacific Coffee and a few others, with surveys conducted across different districts at different times of the day. If you would like to help, please email [email protected]. We will send you a list of districts, brands and time slots (am, mid-day and pm) which we need covered to give us a broad sample which will ensure our research is statistically sound. Each survey takes no more than 5 minutes.
You can also conduct a survey at any coffee shop that you happen to be in at any time, in any location.
Click this link to access the Google Form. Please fill in the survey while you are in the coffee shop.
If you are a HandsOn HK volunteer, let us know so that we can let them know to record your volunteering time. (This applies to surveys conducted from our list.)
This Unnecessary Waste Is Avoidable!
2018/19 (Pre-Covid) Coffee Cup Usage Research
To better understand the extent of the single-use coffee cup problem, Plastic Free Seas undertook research, asking the public to help survey people’s use of cups in coffee shops across Hong Kong, at different times of the day and at different locations. The results were used as the basis for a PhD paper by Julie Metta on the effects of nudging on consumer choice for reusable cups instead of disposable cups.
7,792 people were surveyed across 223 coffee shops over 522 coffee shop visits. Data was collected recording whether they used a to-stay cup, a disposable cup or their own cup for a hot drink while seated in the coffee shop.
Survey Results 2018/19
67% of customers use disposable cups
for drinking hot drinks
while sitting in coffee shops!
The 3-Pronged Campaign
Based on the survey results, PFS created a three-pronged campaign to reduce the volume of waste created from the use of disposables for hot drinks while sitting in coffee shops, as follows:
1. Encouraged individuals to stop using disposable cups for hot drinks while sitting in a coffee shop through social media
2. Wrote letters to all coffee shops surveyed to let them know the results of the survey, recommending ways to help solve the problem and asking how they plan to address this issue
3. Informed the government of the survey results and asked them to pass legislation to ban the use of disposables in coffee shops for dine-in.
Staying in? Order Reusable!
Take Action: What Can You Do As An Individual?
1. Avoid coffee shops that don’t provide reusable cups
2. Always ask for a reusable cup or bring your own reusable cup
3. Share this message through social media. Graphics can be found below.
4. Read up on the new legislation on tableware in HK. Government has banned single-use plastic cups, food containers and their lids from being used for ‘dine-in’ at food & beverage establishments. This includes most coffee cups which are lined with plastic.
5. Write to a coffee shop that doesn’t offer reusables for dine-in. Let them know that you prefer to give your business to restaurants that that can serve them in reusables. (See letter templates below)
6. Introduce your favourite coffee shop to the concept of providing a reusable take-away cup programme. It is becoming more common across Hong Kong. Some local businesses are leading the way – TapAway, Muuse and ReCube.
7. Support restaurants that allow you to bring your own cups and containers. The government has a non-exhaustive list which is part of their ‘BYO Eateries Scheme’, a campaign to encourage restaurants to allow customers to BYO.
Take Action: What Can Coffee Shops Do?
4. Advertise the incentive well so that customers know about it
5. Provide a ‘borrow & return’ reusable cup programme
6. Stop opening shops in locations where you are unable to wash reusable cups
7. Don’t wait for legislation to force you to change. Start making changes as soon as possible.
Take Action: What Can Government Do?
Copy one of these templates to write a letter to a coffee shop, or create your own
Dear Coffee Shop name,
Over 10,500 tonnes of waste goes to landfill every day in Hong Kong. We are creating too much waste, and much of it is unnecessary.
I went to your coffee shop at location on date at around time and noticed that many people were using disposable cups for hot drinks. This creates unnecessary waste and I would like to recommend a few things you can do to change this.
1. Ensure your staff are asking people if they are staying in or taking away, and serve them in the appropriate cup.
2. Stop opening locations where you cannot provide to-stay cups.
3. Offer an incentive for people to bring their own reusable cup and advertise the incentive where everyone can easily see it.
A great way to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups used would be to charge for them to encourage customers to use your to-stay cups for dine-in or to bring their own (BYO).
Best regards,
Dear Coffee Shop name,
I went to your coffee shop at location on date at around time and I wasn’t asked whether I was planning to stay in or if I wanted to take away my beverage, and I was given a disposable cup even though I was staying in. Had I been asked, you wouldn’t have had to waste a cup, and I could have had a more enjoyable drinking experience out of a proper to-stay cup. If the customer does not specify, the default cup should be reusable, not disposable, to avoid creating unnecessary waste.
I hope that you will take the above into consideration. For now, I will choose to buy my coffee at shops that are trying to reduce waste and where I can enjoy my coffee in a proper to-stay cup. I look forward to seeing a change at your coffee shop.
In addition to making the default cup a to-stay cup, a great way to reduce the number of disposable coffee cups used would be to charge for them. This will encourage customers to use your to-stay cups for dine-in or to bring their own (BYO).
Best regards,
Feel free to use our resources to spread the reuse message on social media
Most disposable coffee cups are lined with plastic making them hard to recycle, and they won’t biodegrade.
Catching up with a friend? Make your coffee as sustainable as your friendship!
Choosing a disposable cup for your coffee cup creates a lot of waste as it often comes with a disposable lid, stirrer and sleeve.
Value your coffee as much as you do your time.
If you use disposable cups and have three meetings per week in a coffee shop, you will throw away around 150 disposable coffee cups per year!
The next time you meet a client for a coffee, treat your coffee as well as you treat your client.
If only 1% of Hong Kong’s population uses one disposable cup per day, over 27 million cups are wasted every year. Almost all of them will end up in landfill. 27 million cups would stretch from HK to Kathmandu. What a waste!
Coffee is about pleasure, not waste. Indulge your senses with a proper cup.
With limited space in our landfills, we must act now to reduce the waste we produce. Every cup counts!
Great coffee is about craftsmanship, not waste. A proper coffee deserves a proper cup.
Pre-Covid, 67% of people were drinking hot beverages in coffee shops using disposable cups. The solution is in your hands. Remember to:
* Avoid coffee shops that don’t provide to-stay cups
* Ask for a to-stay cup or bring your own reusable cup