Laid end to end, those single-use cups would stretch 55 km, 1.3 × the length of a marathon.
Includes making replacements for the 25,000 reusable cups a year that aren’t returned.
Figures are estimates based on published data where available. Prices are indicative only. Contact us for more information.
Cafés and coffee shops
University and college campuses
Visitor attractions, museums and heritage sites
Offices and workplace canteens
Football, rugby and cricket grounds
Arenas, racecourses, festivals and events
Every drink you serve in a single-use cup switches to a returnable cup.
A single-use paper cup with plastic lid and sleeve is responsible for up to 65 g CO₂e, and a compostable one up to 66 g. A single-use plastic pint cup is responsible for up to 70 g. Published estimates range from about 17 g to 70 g, depending on the cup and how it’s disposed of.
Making a reusable cup produces 168 g CO₂e. Each wash adds 6.2 g.
Cups that aren’t returned are replaced, and the carbon of making the replacements is included. With re-universe’s optional deposit, the customer pays for the replacement.
A paper cup and lid weighs about 15 g, a plastic pint cup about 20 g and a reusable cup about 48 g. A 12oz coffee cup is about 11 cm tall and a plastic pint cup about 15 cm.
Savings are for a scheme that’s already running. In the first year you also make your starting stock of cups, which reduces that year’s carbon saving.
A typical cup hire service loses 15% of cups per event, and the venue pays to replace them. Hire and washing costs are treated as the same for both reusable options.
Sources: paper cup, CupClub life-cycle assessment (2018). Compostable cup, Edge Environment for KeepCup (2018). Plastic pint cup, reusable cup and washing, Hope Solutions (2018). All are cited in the Scottish Government’s Strategic Environmental Assessment for its cup charge (2024). Range: Foteinis, Journal of Cleaner Production (2020). Cup weights and UK figures: WRAP (2022). Prices: UK catering supplier list prices, September 2026.
What is the carbon footprint of a single-use coffee cup?
Up to 65 g of CO₂e for a paper cup with a plastic lid and sleeve. Published studies range from about 17 g to 65 g, depending on the cup’s size, lining and whether it’s burned, landfilled or recycled.
Are compostable cups better than paper cups?
Not usually. A compostable cup and lid is responsible for up to 66 g of CO₂e, slightly more than paper. WRAP advises that compostable cups rarely reach industrial composting outside closed sites, so most end up burned or in landfill.
How many single-use cups does the UK throw away?
About 3.2 billion paper cups a year, and only 2.8% are recycled (WRAP, 2022). A further billion or so single-use plastic cups are used for cold drinks.
How many times must a reusable cup be used to beat a single-use cup?
With the figures in this calculator, a reusable cup makes up for its own carbon after about three uses. Independent reviews give a wider range, often 10 to 40 uses, which is why a high return rate matters so much.
What happens if a customer doesn’t return a cup?
re-universe cups carry an optional deposit. When it’s used, a customer who keeps their cup pays for its replacement through the deposit, so the venue isn’t left with the cost.
How is this different from hiring reusable cups?
Cup hire services usually don’t track cups or take a deposit, so more cups go missing and the venue pays to replace them. At a Premier League stadium using a cup hire service, 15% of cups were lost at every event.
