The Greystones Cup Project is a community-wide initiative led by Wicklow County Council and supported by Greystones Tidy Towns to reduce single-use waste by introducing a shared reusable cup system across Greystones as part of an overall messaging campaign. By joining the project, your café becomes part of a pioneering local movement to cut waste, attract sustainability-minded customers, and demonstrate leadership in environmental responsibility.
The system is voluntary for customers. They can choose which type of cup they want to use: sit in and use ceramic (if available), bring their own reusable cup or choose to use the Greystones reusable cup. The campaign aims to encourage locals to choose the more sustainable option of a reusable cup. We want to enable the coffee shops to eventually phase out single-use coffee cups as it is no longer expected or required by customers in Greystones.
Campaign Goals
Our goal is to encourage the use of reusable cups to cut waste and reduce the environmental impact of single-use, disposable coffee cups.
What is the plan?
Convey the message, through visual external marketing, social media and radio:
- Sit in (use ceramic)
- Bring your own (its easy, like remembering your shopping bags)
- Use the Greystones Cup
To support the message, Wicklow County Council provides reusable coffee cups to the cafés and shops that join the Greystones Cup Project. The plan is to initially provide 7,000 cups with a pilot of cafes and sports clubs across the Greystones Community.
How does it work?
It is a deposit and return scheme where customers of the clubs and cafes pay a €2 deposit for a cup which they get back when they return the cup to the (preferably same) retailer.
The Greystones Cup Manifesto
We believe that Every Cup Counts.
Each time we choose to reuse, we take a stand against single-use waste.
Every day in Greystones, thousands of disposable cups are put into landfill.
We can reduce this waste.
But this is about more than cups. It’s about pride. Pride in our community.
Pride in leaving Greystones better for the next generation.
Together, we can shape new habits. Together, we can build a culture of sustainability. Together, we show that small choices, made every day, can create lasting change.
Our Cup. Our Town. Our Future.
Greystones Cup Champions
We currently have 8 coffee shops who are involved in the Greystones Cup Pilot Project.
If you are a coffee shop or club and would like to join the campaign, contact ccap@wicklowcoco.ie
Greystones Cup Champions
We are inviting cafes and clubs to get involved in this pilot project. Wicklow County Council are providing local businesses and clubs with over 7000 cups for the first wave of this project.
There is a limited number of clubs and coffee shops that can take part of the pilot scheme.
To register your interest in taking part in this scheme email ccap@wicklowcoco.ie in Wicklow County Council.
All Greystone Cup Club and Café Champions are asked sign up to the Champions Charter in order to show solidarity and support of the campaign
You can download more details on initiative with the Club and Café Champion Guide and the Champions Charter below:
