EARTH Bistro in Launceston is introducing a new scheme in an aim to reduce the number of takeaway coffee cups going to waste.

The bistro, which is part of Earth Bistro and Deli located in Market House Arcade and aims to reduce unnecessary waste in the food and drink industry, introduced its returnable takeaway mugs scheme on Thursday, September 26. They are also encouraging people to bring in their own mug or takeaway cup for a 50p discount on their drink.

But for those who do not own or carry a mug or takeaway cup around with them, Earth Bistro is offering one of their own mugs for a £1 refundable deposit.

The customer would hand over £1 and take their drink away with them in one of Earth Bistro’s mugs, but would have to return it in order to get their pound back.

Annie Mitchell, owner of Earth Bistro and Deli, said: “The ethos of Earth Bistro and Deli is all about doing what we can to help reduce waste — both ours and our customers — and protect the environment.

“Our latest innovation is our returnable takeaway mug scheme, which is just a small part of what we are trying to achieve. Use your own mug and we will deduct 50p from your purchase. If you don’t have a mug you can use one of our returnable ones for a refundable deposit of £1. Want to keep using it? We will fill it up for just £1.50 each time, a saving of 50p on our usual takeaway coffee price. We will, of course, offer a clean mug every time if necessary.

“This eliminates the use of single-use and disposable cups from Earth Bistro and Deli and thereby creating less unwanted waste.”

Many of the bistro’s supplies of crockery and cutlery are up-cycled to ensure they are reused and not destined for landfill when they still have many years of life left in them.

To add to their achievements, Earth Bistro and Deli has also recently been listed on the Final Straw Cornwall campaign for their reusable and minimal waste ethos.