Disposable coffee cups are very difficult to recycle as they are a mix of plastic and paper, which means most end up in an incinerator. At King’s, we use a lot of disposable cups, with 208,616 being bought across the estate in 2024. If we make the switch to returnable cups, we will save a lot of raw resources and waste.
Henry Ager, Waste & Resource Coordinator, Climate & Sustainability
09 April 2025
Honor Oak Park Launches Returnable Coffee Cup Scheme
King’s Sport & Wellness introduces returnable coffee cups at Honor Oak Sports Ground to reduce single-use waste.
To further reduce waste and support sustainability, Honor Oak Sports Ground has launched a new returnable coffee cup scheme, replacing all single-use cups on site.
The initiative builds on the success of the returnable pint cup scheme introduced at Honor Oak Sports Ground in 2019. By expanding the scheme to hot drinks, King’s Sport & Wellness is taking another meaningful step towards minimising the site's environmental impact.
How does the scheme work?
Customers who buy a hot drink at Honor Oak Park will pay a £3 deposit towards a returnable cup. They must then return the cup to a staff member to receive their deposit back. Used cups are then washed and reused for future customers.
Customers are also welcome to bring their own reusable cups. As an extra incentive, anyone who brings their own cup six times will earn a free hot drink through the site’s loyalty scheme.
'At King's Sport & Wellness, we are committed to promoting sustainability as well as wellbeing. The returnable cup scheme at Honor Oak Sports Ground is a further step along the line of reducing our waste and encouraging our community to make simple, impactful changes.
Mark Burgess, Head of King’s Sport & Wellness