Paper Beer / Cider Cups

[KingOfSnake]

Went to the Radio 1 gig in Swindon last Saturday.

Turned out to be a really great day, especially the excellent Doves!

All in all it was pretty well organised apart from a major cock up with the way they did the loo's.

One thing they did do was the 10p deposit on the beer cups.

Really helped keep the place relatively clean.

Any that were dropped by people that couldnt be arsed, were soon picked up by someone else on their way to the bar.

I remember reading about this system on here a couple of years back, but remember some people saying they didnt think it would work @ Glasto.

Having seen it in action - I cant think why not.

thoughts ?

[Phable]

Went to the Radio 1 gig in Swindon last Saturday.

Turned out to be a really great day, especially the excellent Doves!

All in all it was pretty well organised apart from a major cock up with the way they did the loo's.

One thing they did do was the 10p deposit on the beer cups.

Really helped keep the place relatively clean.

Any that were dropped by people that couldnt be arsed, were soon picked up by someone else on their way to the bar.

I remember reading about this system on here a couple of years back, but remember some people saying they didnt think it would work @ Glasto.

Having seen it in action - I cant think why not.

thoughts ?

[Pinhead]

Think there was a discussion about this on here earlier in the year, the consensus being that it would not work for Glasto. Think GFL were even asked and responded that it was unworkable for some reason.

[ukdannyb]

I would be very interested to know why it wouldn't be workable.

[ashcoates]

I think it;s workable in places like V and Reading because the bars are controlled and run by one company, so it doesn't make much difference where you take the cups back to.....

From what I can tell different companies have bars at Glastonbury and I think they wouldn't be happy if someone was bringing cups from other bars in order for them to fork out 10p

Just a thought!

[Wiggum]

From this thread title, I thought you meant beer made out of paper and cups made out of cider.

[ukdannyb]

I was thinking that you would only be able to do it at the WBC bars, but maybe this would discourage people from using the other bars.

[Breeze]

Think there was a discussion about this on here earlier in the year, the consensus being that it would not work for Glasto. Think GFL were even asked and responded that it was unworkable for some reason.

[rustybutcher]

what if they only allow bars to serve if they agree to pay the 10p for every cup, regardless of which bar they originally came from. Maybe only if this rule was only for the major bar operators rather than privately owned ones ?

or if every bar promises to pay back every 10p that a different bar had to pay out for their cup being returned ?

edit

what if the people that clean the site after set up a cup collection point? maybe they would be willing to pay for them to be returned to cut down on their cost of the clean up?

Edited May 13, 2009 by rustybutcher

[William of Walworth]

If you put down a deposit then every unused cup on site has to be secured as it is worth cash money to anyone with sticky fingers.

Semi manageable if you have one provider covering all bars, or better yet just one bar area, but still difficult to avoid abuse of the system.

Edited May 13, 2009 by William of Walworth

[glasto_freak]

Or the bars could charge the 10p when you buy the drink, and then have several 'cup amnesty' point around the site where you can return any cup you wanted and get paid the 10p back. They could just recycle the cups and so it wouldn't matter which bar it came from.

It would also give something to do on the monday morning. I would be more than willing the trawl the site looking for cups.

[Sam Crawley]

Here's what I received from Dick in the organising office when I collected up questions a while ago - not directly relevant to what's been suggested here, but part of the mix anyway:

Q: To avoid so many paper cups being used, how about re-usable plastic pint glasses with a deposit scheme?

A: Having paper cups is an environmental decision. We have increased massively the amount of organic material composted since we had only card cups and plates and wooden cutlery on site. They can all go into our accelerated in vessel composter and break down quickly. WE used to have a significant amount rejected as being contaminated with plastic which then were sent to landfill, incurring costs. Nowadays that is not the case. To the best of my knowledge the re-usable plastic pint glasses used at some festivals currently go to Germany to be steralised as there is no suitable equipment in this country. Even if there were, it is unlikely to be in Somerset and the mileage involved would be unlikely to make it a green option – anyway plastic is an off shoot of the petrochemical industry while the card cups are made from off-cuts from the paper industry.

[barney73]

I thought one of those souvenir type plastic cups which you can wear round your neck would be good. You buy one and get money off the bar price every time you use it.

[KingOfSnake]

Or the bars could charge the 10p when you buy the drink, and then have several 'cup amnesty' point around the site where you can return any cup you wanted and get paid the 10p back. They could just recycle the cups and so it wouldn't matter which bar it came from.

[glasto_freak]

That reply doesn't exactly answer the issue of, why not have deposits on paper cups, because it would cost the organisers no more, and create an incentive to clear up. So by the end of the festival, all of the cups would already have been put in collection points to be recycled

[KingOfSnake]

it seems such a no-brainer really !?

[mouth]

it does seem silly not to have something like this in place.

[ukslim]

That reply doesn't exactly answer the issue of, why not have deposits on paper cups, because it would cost the organisers no more, and create an incentive to clear up. So by the end of the festival, all of the cups would already have been put in collection points to be recycled

[cejx]

Latitude worked well last year with this. The first beer/cider you bought, you paid an extra £2 for a washable plastic glass. Each time you bought a drink, you take the 'glass' back and they give you a fresh washed one. At the end of the festival... take the glass back to the bar and they give you £2 quid back. £2 is enough for people to worry about... particularly in these 'tight' times and the £2 which weren't collected went to charity.

The difference in the lack of litter was massive, and with all Latitudes faults, made for a much more pleasant clean place to be.

Think how grim Brothers Bar can be with the gadzillion paper cups littering the floor?

Now this really is a no brainer.

[Kyelo]

Been doing it for years at T, you always get skanks running around collecting hundreds of them for 1 more beer.

[ukslim]

Latitude worked well last year with this. The first beer/cider you bought, you paid an extra £2 for a washable plastic glass. Each time you bought a drink, you take the 'glass' back and they give you a fresh washed one.

[William of Walworth]

Here's what I received from Dick in the organising office when I collected up questions a while ago - not directly relevant to what's been suggested here, but part of the mix anyway:

Q: To avoid so many paper cups being used, how about re-usable plastic pint glasses with a deposit scheme?

A: Having paper cups is an environmental decision. We have increased massively the amount of organic material composted since we had only card cups and plates and wooden cutlery on site. They can all go into our accelerated in vessel composter and break down quickly. WE used to have a significant amount rejected as being contaminated with plastic which then were sent to landfill, incurring costs. Nowadays that is not the case. To the best of my knowledge the re-usable plastic pint glasses used at some festivals currently go to Germany to be steralised as there is no suitable equipment in this country. Even if there were, it is unlikely to be in Somerset and the mileage involved would be unlikely to make it a green option – anyway plastic is an off shoot of the petrochemical industry while the card cups are made from off-cuts from the paper industry.

[KingOfSnake]

One other good thing would be ... not having to put up with that horrid smell that occurs when someone puts a load of cups on your bonfire.

[cejx]

Yeah, but it's been explained why plastics are considered undesirable.

[mandypants]

It helped to keep the arena rubbish down significantly at Leeds, I'm sure it would be workable elsewhere, the deposit system sounds pretty good and is probably how Leeds manage to do it cos they wouldn't do it for nothing that's for sure! Now we just need something to stop people smushing food into the ground and making it yucky to sit on!