Sustainability Through Waste Prevention

Understanding the Waste Hierarchy

The revised EU Waste Framework Directive (2008) sets out five steps for dealing with waste, ranked according to their environmental impact. Understanding this hierarchy is key to choosing the right drinkware for your venue.

The Five Steps:

1. Prevention: The main priority. Using reusable cups stops waste from being generated in the first place.
2. Reuse: Extending the life of the product through repeated washing and service.
3. Recycling: Turning the product back into raw material at the end of its life.
4. Recovery: Extracting energy from materials that cannot be recycled.
5. Disposal: Landfill or incineration—the least desirable option which Drinksmate helps you avoid entirely.

Why Reuse Beats Disposable

Even 'compostable' or 'recyclable' single-use cups require massive amounts of energy to produce, transport, and process after just one use. Drinksmate reusable cups drastically reduce this cycle. One of our cups can replace thousands of disposables over its lifetime, significantly lowering the carbon footprint of your event.

Our Closed-Loop Commitment

We encourage all clubs and event organisers to eliminate single-use plastics. Every cup we produce is made from food-grade, BPA-free polypropylene (PP). This material is not only durable and dishwasher safe but also 100% recyclable. When a cup finally reaches the end of its service, it enters our closed-loop system to be reprocessed into new products.

Join the movement toward a zero-waste UK. Choose reuse.