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In November 2016, Freiburg decided to stop the flood of disposable coffee cups. One year and a half later, Freiburg has proven how a mid-size city can push for alternatives to the throw-away society and define the political agenda. Located just next to the Black Forest, the 250.000-inhabitants city has long led the way in energy savings, renewable energy and green mobility. What’s more, its high-performing waste management system reaches 70% recycling and generates 335.3 kg of waste per inhabitant, well below the German average of 462 kg of waste per capita. As in the rest of Germany, disposable coffee cups soon became a problem in Freiburg, for three main reasons: they are an preventable source of waste that is not even recyclable, they are voluminous and fill quickly the street waste bins, and finally, they are a source of littering. Deutsche Umwelthilfe calculates that 2.8 billion disposable coffee cups are consumed every year in Germany, which represent indeed a growing waste stream. One year and a half after the launch of the FreiburgCup, ASF has managed to achieve the three main goals they had set for themselves. Firstly, the system has succeeded in providing consumers with an alternative to single-use coffee cups, as today the FreiburgCup is present in the majority of the cafés in the city. Secondly, the FreiburgCup has helped to reduce litter in Freiburg. Lastly, it has significantly contributed to raise awareness about disposable coffee cups and the need to take policy actions to tackle them. Beyond the policy impact, the level to which the FreiburgCup has managed to reduce the use of single-use cups is unclear, as ASF has not tracked or measured the evolution in their consumption. In any case, ASF acknowledges that, in general terms, the FreiburgCup is probably not yet the most preferred option for coffee on-the-go in Freiburg. ASF understands that more customers need to get involved and, for that, they have planned specific promotion campaigns both for customers to choose the reusable cup and for cafés to proactively offer the FreiburgCup. More information: https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FreiburgCupfinal.pdf
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