Just in time for the start of the season, the dining establishments at Hellabrunn Zoo are switching to the RECUP deposit cup system. This is an environmentally friendly alternative to paper coffee cups, as are some 200 cafés and bakeries in Munich.
Starting in early March, Hellabrunn Zoo will have a uniform deposit cup system. Marché International, the tenant of the zoo restaurant, as well as restaurateurs Siegfried Able of Café Rhino, Tao Garten, and Fish & Chips in the Polar World, Florian Lechner of Café Mühle, Verena Able of Café Bamboo, and Michele Fuzio of Café Flamingo are participating. Visitors will now be able to return reusable beverage cups not only at all restaurants in the zoo, but also at participating partners in Munich's city center. The deposit per cup is always one euro.
“I am pleased that, at the initiative of the zoo, all tenants are joining a reusable deposit system, which has already become established among many Munich residents as an alternative to paper cups,”
emphasizes Mayor and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board Christine StroblEvery year, in Germany alone, approximately 2.8 billion disposable cups are used for coffee-to-go and thrown away after one use – 320,000 cups per hour. This represents unnecessary waste of resources and an unnecessary burden on the environment. RECUP aims to counteract this trend with reusable cups made of durable polypropylene plastic. Currently, this material is best suited for a reusable system due to its manufacturing and recycling conditions, comparatively low energy consumption, and good recyclability.
Consumer and environmentally friendly solution
So far, the company, founded in 2016, has been able to establish the deposit cups in numerous other German regions besides Munich, from Sylt to Lake Constance. Zoo director Rasem Baban is pleased about the introduction of a uniform deposit system in Hellabrunn:
"The deposit-based reusable cups are a clever system to stop the environmentally harmful single-use trend. Of course, the zoo, with its educational mission, has a strong interest in supporting sustainable and resource-saving practices. Therefore, I welcome the reusable alternative and am confident that we have found a consumer- and environmentally-friendly solution."
