Environment

On Trend: These B.C. companies offer reusable to-go cups for coffee and tea lovers

With a minimum 25-cent fee for most single-use beverage cups now law in the City of Vancouver, here are a few local alternatives.

By Saphiya Zerrouk /
Reusable BBT Cup

Credit: Reusable BBT Cup

With a minimum 25-cent fee for most single-use beverage cups now law in the City of Vancouver, here are a few local alternatives

■ THANKS FOR SHARING

Victoria-based Nulla Project fills the need for a simple system that reduces single-use cup waste, offering coffee shop customers at partnering locations a reusable cup for $5. You can take it home, then switch it with a fresh one on your next visit, or get your deposit back. Hoping to make a dent in the tens of millions of cups disposed of locally each year, Vancouver’s Cuppy is bringing its own share program to the Metro region. 

■ BUBBLE WRAP

As bubble tea mania continues, Reusable BBT Cup is here to keep the good times eco-friendly. The Vancouver-based company, now at 14 retailers across B.C. and two in Saskatchewan, is looking to go international with its glass cups and bamboo lids. Besides offering DIY bubble tea kits, Chance Café on Vancouver’s Commercial Street encourages waste reduction by selling glass cups and metal straws.

■ STYLE AND SUBSTANCE

Like an outfit, you want a reusable coffee cup to reflect your vibe. Silk Road Tea’s ceramic Cup to Go has thick walls to keep drinks hot or cold. No two designs for the Victoria outfit’s elegant vessels are the same, thanks to their hand-applied glazes. Showcasing work by local Indigenous artists, North Vancouver-based Panabo’s 500-mL stainless steel coffee tumblers are double-walled.