COFFEE CUP REVOLUTION
The 12th Coffee Cup Revolution in 2025 successfully collected 213,841 cups! That was 35,799 more cups than the year before, a record-breaking milestone made possible by our incredible community of binners and supporters.
We were so proud to share space at Victory Square Park with waste experts from across North America, city councillors, community leaders, and journalists. Together, we highlighted the power of community-led action in waste diversion.
Every year, thanks to sponsorship and community support, Binners' Project hosts the Coffee Cup Revolution to demonstrate what a coffee cup refund system can achieve as well as openly dialogue about how binning can support green communities, and vice versa.
This year's 13th Annual Coffee Cup Revolution will return to Victory Square Park, providing binners the opportunity to return used coffee cups for a 10-cent refund.
We were so proud to share space at Victory Square Park with waste experts from across North America, city councillors, community leaders, and journalists. Together, we highlighted the power of community-led action in waste diversion.
Every year, thanks to sponsorship and community support, Binners' Project hosts the Coffee Cup Revolution to demonstrate what a coffee cup refund system can achieve as well as openly dialogue about how binning can support green communities, and vice versa.
This year's 13th Annual Coffee Cup Revolution will return to Victory Square Park, providing binners the opportunity to return used coffee cups for a 10-cent refund.
As of 2025, binners have diverted over 1,000,000 coffee cups!
What was new last year?In a CCR milestone, we were pleased to welcome other waste picker organizations from the North American Waste Picker Alliance (NAWPA) – Coop Les Valoristes, Sure We Can NYC, and Ground Score Association – who joined us to share insights and experiences on how binners are shaping the future of waste diversion across the continent.
About 150 members of the community came down to hear from leading waste picker organization about the important role that binners play in supporting our waste management systems. Click here to learn more about the North American Waste Picker Alliance (NAWPA)! How it worksPop-up Depot
At the Coffee Cup Revolution, members of the Binners’ Project lead the charge by designing, setting up, and operating a one-day pop-up depot that welcomes more than 150 binners from across the city. For one day only, binners can bring their collected used coffee cups to Victory Square and redeem them for 10 cents each. Some binners spend days, weeks, or even months gathering cups in anticipation of this event — a unique opportunity to both divert waste from landfills and earn direct income through their efforts. Last year, binners set a new record, collecting an astounding 213,841 cups and earning a total of $21,384.10 in cup refunds! These refunds are made possible thanks to the support of our 12th Coffee Cup Revolution funders, Ken Lyotier Fund, Metro Vancouver, and the City of Vancouver, and all our sponsors. |
Why do we need a REVOLUTION?Every week, Vancouver throws away 2.6 million coffee cups. Unlike bottles and cans, which achieve a 79% recycling rate, coffee cups can only go into residential blue bins, leaving most of them destined for the landfill.
The Coffee Cup Revolution proves it doesn’t have to be this way. Just as refundable deposits transformed recycling for cans and bottles, the same is possible for coffee cups. Binners are ready to lead the way, separating and returning cups just as they already do with other containers. But without a small financial incentive, this solution can’t take root. With it, we can turn a waste problem into an opportunity for both the environment and the people who protect it. |
Awareness Raising
The depot garners considerable community and media interest before, during, and well after the event, propelling our year-round educational work on waste diversion and economic inclusion, especially as it relates to coffee cups - here's a sample:
The depot garners considerable community and media interest before, during, and well after the event, propelling our year-round educational work on waste diversion and economic inclusion, especially as it relates to coffee cups - here's a sample:
- Waste pickers want deposits back on more materials — and it’s not just about the money, CBC, 2025
- With 2.6 Million Disposable Cups Trashed a Week, Vancouver Struggles to Find Solutions, The Tyee, 2019
- With millions of coffee cups thrown away in Vancouver every year, advocates push for refund-deposit system, Global News, 2017
- Une consigne sur les gobelets à café pour désengorger les poubelles, Radio-Canada, 2017
- Revolution in a coffee cup: Vancouver event aims to reduce waste, CBC, 2017
- Binners recycle coffee cups in Downtown Vancouver (Video), Global News, 2016
- Why you're still not using that reusable coffee mug, The Tyee, 2016
- How a 5-cent Deposit on Coffee Cups Just Might Work (Video), CBC Marketplace, 2015
- Vancouver binners unite to talk trash with city, The Thunderbird, 2014
BE PART OF THE CHANGE
Every coffee cup collected tells a story - of waste diverted, income earned, and stigma reduced. Sponsorship makes this all possible.
The Coffee Cup Revolution and related public education and community engagement work is possible thanks to the financial support of local businesses, organizations, and foundations.
The Coffee Cup Revolution and related public education and community engagement work is possible thanks to the financial support of local businesses, organizations, and foundations.
