The #CupRescue Schools Program is providing high schools around Australia with the infrastructure for students to become champions of rescuing single use cups from landfill.
Since launching in late 2020, the 7-Eleven #CupRescue Schools Program has gone live in more than 50 schools around Australia, with plans to continue explaining rapidly.
The program provides the infrastructure for high school students to be champions of rescuing single use cups from landfill.
More than one billion single use cups end up in landfill each year in Australia but these cups can’t be recycled in standard kerbside units due to their plastic coating.
7-Eleven’s Simply Cups recycling units enable these takeaway cups of any brand, including coffee lids, and plastic straws, to be collected, processed, and recycled.
“We decided to engage young Australians to lead the way in their communities by developing a program that gave schools and students practical tools to empower them to make a difference,” said 7-Eleven CEO and Managing Director, Angus McKay.
7-Eleven is now calling on more high schools to get involved by signing up at 7eleven.com.au/cuprescue.
“We’ll provide participating schools with free cup collection units to enable students and staff to collect cups at their school. All the school needs to do is collect cups and drop them off at their partnering 7-Eleven store.
“I’d love to get cup recycling at every high school in Australia with a local 7-Eleven.”
Since partnering with Simply Cups in 2018, the two companies have saved more than 16 million cups from landfill.
“7-Eleven is the leader in coffee in convenience, selling more than 80 million cups a year. For me, leading the market in the number of cups we sell, means we need to lead in reducing how many single use cups end up in landfill,” said McKay.
Further to the recycling units that are being installed at schools around the country, more than 660 7-Eleven stores in Victoria, NSW, ACT, Queensland, and Western Australia have cup recycling units installed.