Photo Op - Binners set to host record-breaking coffee cup depot Monday

October 12, 2017 Vancouver, BC - Media are encouraged to attend the Binners’ Project fourth annual Coffee Cup Revolution on October 16th from 11:00am-2:00pm in Victory Square Park.

“Coffee cups can be difficult to recycle, and often end up in landfills as a result,” says Davin Boutang, binner and Outreach Coordinator for the Binners’ Project. “When you’re binning, you see them everywhere. Binners are doing great work collecting bottles and cans and keeping them out of the landfill. We can do that with coffee cups too.”

At 11:00 am, a team of binners led by Boutang will open a depot in the park where binners can return coffee cups for five cents a cup, up to 400 cups each per visit (multiple visits permitted). The event demonstrates how a refund system could work  for these single-use items. The depot closes at 4:00 pm.

Last year, the event set new records, with over 300 binners participating and more than 49,000 cups refunded and recycled. This year will likely see more record-breaking line-ups and refunds as the popularity of the event increases, and with the City of Vancouver currently considering a coffee cup refund system.

“A refund system is a  win-win situation,” says Anna Godefroy, Binners’ Project Director. “Treating coffee cups as we do bottles and cans will discourage people from throwing them out and, where that fails, incentivize binners to help divert this large amount of waste from Vancouver landfills.”

While the depot is running, city planners, local businesses and organizations, and residents and members of the public will participate in a series of roundtable discussions. This year, discussion topics include strategies to reduce the presence of single use items in landfills, as well as broader issues related to green, inclusive economies, such as corporate social responsibility and social hiring.

The depot and event are open to the public and free to all, thanks to the support of BC Housing, SFU Vancity’s Office of Community Engagement, the City of Vancouver, and various other local businesses, foundations, and organizations sponsoring the event.

AGENDA

11:00 am -- Depot opens
11:30 am -- Roundtables begin
1:30 pm  -- Roundtables end
2:00 pm -- Depot closes

LEARN MORE
For more details on this year’s Coffee Cup Revolution, visit: https://www.binnersproject.org/coffee-cup-revolution.html

To register for the roundtable discussions, visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-coffee-cup-revolution-roundtable-discussions-tickets-36615701549

To view the City of Vancouver consultation paper mentioned above, visit:
http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/single-use-consultation-paper-9-12-2017.pdf


CONTACT

Anna Godefroy
E. anna.godefroy@binnersproject.org
P. 604-619-0058



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