Frankfurt plans coffee cup deposit scheme to reduce waste

Plans are underway to introduce a city-wide reusable cup deposit system in Frankfurt. The overall aim is to reduce the immense number of disposable coffee cups that are thrown away each year in the German city.

How does cup2gether’s deposit scheme work?

The idea is very simple: once you’ve signed up for the scheme online, you show your confirmation email in any of Frankfurt’s cafes to receive your hot drink in a reusable cup (you can pick your favourite!) When you’ve finished your drink, you take the cup back to any cafe and receive a wooden coin that can be redeemed for another cup the next time you need one.

The scheme - known as “cup2gether” - is the brainchild of Frankfurt-based organisation “Lust auf besser leben”. The non-profit GmbH has been working on the project for over a year, including carrying out a successful pilot scheme. Frankfurt’s waste management company, FES, have now taken over the project and plan to roll out the deposit system across the whole city.

Deposit system will reduce waste in Frankfurt

Announcing the scheme, green environmental officer Rosemarie Heilig said that a deposit system would help to keep Frankfurt clean and reduce unnecessary waste. Moreover, as the popularity of on-the-go consumption increases, more and more money is spent on disposing of the waste it creates. The deposit system will therefore also save city authorities money in the long term.

For the scheme to be a success, Heilig is calling upon Frankfurt’s residents to support it: “The road to a clean Frankfurt with as little plastic as possible cannot be taken by the city alone,” she says. “We need the support of lots of people.”