On the mission to end single-use plastic in the hospitality sector, TURN Systems & BIG Products teamed up to design a system of reusable cups, return bins and on-site washing facilities. As reported by Fast Company, the latest pilot program with Starbucks aims to reduce the company’s current use of around 6 billion disposable cups annually worldwide. We couldn’t be more excited to be part of this journey! The TURN cups are produced with recycled polypropylene, aluminium or stainless steel and can be reused up to 120 times, by returning them to the Smart Bins for quick, efficient, and safe dispensing. The Smart Washer, a mobile truck, washes the cups 5x faster than a traditional dishwasher, as well as tracks the number of cups being returned, calculating the environmental benefit. Other partnerships include Live Nation, Oak View Group, Pepsi, and Delta. By introducing the TURN system, Starbucks is hoping to incentivize customers to opt for a more climate friendly option when ordering their coffee: “For customers, seeing is believing—if reusable cups are offered and used more, customers will start thinking about it for every visit as the norm,” says Amy Wang, Director for Global Reusables Strategy at Starbucks.
