Over the past month we’ve seen a massive upheaval in the hospitality sector. With the mad rush to save businesses, we have collectively embarked on a path towards single-use packaging at a rate never seen before.
With very limited understanding of the virus, we reacted on instinct; but sadly that ‘instinct’ is something that was manufactured by the plastics and fossil fuel industry over more than half a century.
Now that the panic has started to subside, we can all start to see a little clearer.
In that clarity we remember that single-use plastic is not cleaner or safer, and that many viruses and bacteria exist on both single-use and reusables alike.
We also start to realise that it is actually far safer for the customer to BYO a cup than to use single-use during the Covid-19 pandemic. The customer knows exactly where their cup has been. And that cafes aren’t allergic to washing cups either, in fact they are perfectly set up for this. With some soap and hot water (or even better a dishwasher) you can remove any trace of a virus. The same cannot be said for single-use packaging, which usually cannot be washed.
Then it dawns on us that human behaviour, practices and work habits are where the solutions lay.
A number of local cafes have continued to encourage customers to BYO coffee cups and other reusables safely:
- Some have set-up sanitising stations, where the cup is sanitised with food grade sanitiser (on the outside) before being picked up by the barista.
- Others have set-up workflows that allows the barista to pour coffee shots and milk into the cup without touching the cup at all.
- And several are either washing the BYO cup in-store before use, or or utilising a reusable cup network such as Retunr, Green Caffeen or Huskee Swap.
It's not rocket science, but it is equally as important. So to all those cafes that are accepting BYO cups (managed safely for both the health of the barista and the customer) we commend you!
WHERE YOU CAN USE BYO CUPS IN SA:
Brother Bear - Mt Barker (utilising Green Caffeen)
Bracegirdle - Multiple locations
Kappy's Tea and Coffee - Adelaide City
Cafe Biga - Adelaide City
Here & Now Cafe - Kensington
Olive Tree Cafe - Thebarton
Boatdeck Cafe - Mawson Lakes
Foodprint Experience - Adelaide City
Drummer Boy - Port Adelaide
The Good Pantry - Gumeracha (utilising Green Caffeen)
Urban Lights - Lightsview
State of Mind Coffee - Noarlunga Downs
Swedish Tarts - Semaphore
Zest Cafe Gallery - Glenelg
The Olive Branch - Balhannah
Kitchen 2C - Hahndorf
Cafe Troppo - Adelaide City
The Front Page Cafe - South Plympton
Minestra - Prospect
Foods for Life - Adelaide City
The Annex Cafe - Glenelg
Energize Cafe & Juice Bar - Adelaide City
CUSTOMER NOMINATED (not yet confirmed by cafe):
The Organic Market - Stirling
Coffee Institute - Walkerville
Queen of Tarts - Adelaide City
If you plan on visiting one of these cafes we cannot stress enough how important it is for you to bring a clean cup and to respect the protocols of the cafe.
If you’re a cafe that is accepting reusables and want to be on the list, please get in touch. And if you'd like to know more about how food businesses can safely embrace the use of reusables at this time, including advice from Food Standards Aus/NZ, check out our guide here.
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