FAQ’s

For Customers

  • CupCycle want to do something about the 50 billion disposable coffee cups landfilled in the US each year.

    We’re piloting our simple, free, reusable to-go cups at the Equator store at 222 2nd Street in San Francisco.

    Our long-term goal is to make our cups available at cafes across the Bay Area so users can borrow and return cups wherever they happen to be.

  • By reusing the same material over and over again, these cups reduce plastic waste, which comes mainly from packaging, litter, and climate emissions. These benefits accrue after just a few uses.

    According to Upstream, switching from single-use to reusables also has the potential to save businesses billions of dollars and create 193,000 jobs.

  • You can check out a cup free of charge by tapping your credit card at the register.

    As long as you bring the cup back to a participating cafe within a week, there is no charge.

  • If you return your cup to any participating location within a week, no fee is charged.

    If not, your card will be charged $5 and the cup becomes yours.

  • You have one week to return your cup to any participating CupCycle location to avoid the $5 late fee.

    Simply scan the QR code on the side of your cup to find out when it’s due and to sign up for a reminder email.

  • Scan the QR code on the side of the cup for a list of participating CupCycle locations near you.

    You do not need to return the cup to the location where you received it.

  • Not at all, although we do appreciate a quick rinse to minimize smells if you have a sink nearby.

  • The environmental break-even point for more durable cup materials (e.g. stainless steel) is as high as 800 uses, which is rarely or ever achieved by commercial reuse systems.

    That’s why we chose to use polypropylene cups, which are heat and stain-resistant; made without phthalates, melamine, or BPA; and whose environmental benefits accrue after just a few uses.

  • Absolutely, that’s why we’d rather use fewer, more durable plastic cups than lots of plastic-lined paper or cold cups.

    But packaging is not a significant source of microplastics anyway. The best thing we can all do to remove microplastics from our environment is to drive less, avoid synthetic clothing (especially fleece), and choose products without plastic microbeads.

  • Our tech provider resides in Europe and abides by strict GDPR privacy requirements.

    When you tap your credit card to check out a cup, our system only receives the last 4 digits to maximize your privacy.

For Cafes & Restaurants

  • We are striving to provide a solution that is no more expensive than buying single-use disposables.

  • We offer 8, 12, and 16 oz. cups in slate/orange (cup/lid) or frosted (both).

  • Cups are washed by participating cafes or picked up by a dishwashing service.

    Both SF and Alameda counties currently provide grants to help businesses pay for dishwashers.

  • No. To maximize environmental benefits, our cups are shared between participating restaurants. Customers can return cups at any participating location.

    We imagine a world where reuse is so common that no coffee chain would choose to brand the few disposable cups that remain.

  • CupCycle’s reusable cup system builds on models that have already been successfully implemented across the UK, where similar cups are used at local cafes, major chains like Burger King and McDonald’s, and workplaces like Salesforce.