A top tourist attraction has taken a bold stand against single-use plastics by introducing new Eco Cups.
The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare says the move will prevent more than 120,000 plastic cups from entering landfill every year.
The reusable containers are now being used to serve all cold drinks on the Pier, significantly cutting down the cost of single-use plastics to the environment.
Guests at the seafront attraction are also able to take the cups home (they can also be bought in the main gift shop for just £1) as a souvenir of their visit.
The Grand Pier’s Food and Beverage Manager, Liz Kallias, said: “We are doing everything we can to reduce the amount of single-use plastics here on the Pier, and now we’re determined to try to save the world, one cup at a time!
“We started looking into reusable cups last year and researched the markets fully before deciding to go with Green Goblet, a firm which has supplied cups for the cricket World Cup this year as well as Ed Sheeran’s concerts, Glastonbury Festival and the rugby Six Nations tournament, so we knew we would be using a product which has been put through its paces and proved successful.
“Within the first few weeks of them being introduced, we sold well over 3,000 reusable cups, so they are clearly already providing popular with our guests.”
The introduction of Eco Cups is the latest in a series of environment-friendly initiatives implemented by the Grand Pier.
Wooden cutlery was introduced at the beginning of 2017. The Pier uses paper straws, wooden coffee stirrers, and all takeaway outlets at the attraction use biodegradable food boxes.
The Pier also recycles glass and cardboard.
Liz added: “We take our corporate social responsibility very seriously and we know that many of our guests are also keen to do their bit to help protect the environment for future generations.
“We are constantly looking at ways of reducing our plastic and have a few other ideas in the pipeline for more eco-friendly practices which we will hopefully be implementing in the near future.
“We hope that all our guests will also consider the environment and think carefully about how they dispose of their litter when they come to visit us. Together, we can make a positive difference.”