reusable cups and reuse system FAQs.
Please feel free to contact us if your question is not answered below.
reusable cups manufacturing, materials and recycling.
-
Our Stemless and Flutes are made from patented Tritan, type #7 plastic and our Tumbler and Taster styles are made from Polypropylene, type #5 plastic.
-
Tumbler and Taster cups are manufactured in Melbourne, Australia. Stemless and Flutes are sourced through an exclusive partnership and manufactured in China with a registered supplier of patented Tritan plastic. Our partner has visited the factory to check the worker safety standards and conditions and confirmed these to be of a high standard.
We have tried many different avenues to manufacture our Stemless and Flutes in Australia but have yet to find a way of doing so that doesn’t compromise their shape, durability and reusability. We are always researching!
-
Our cups are made from virgin plastic. We are committed to continuing to explore avenues for using recycled plastics to manufacture our reusable products, and are navigating a number of barriers currently (specific to our business and plastics) to using recycled plastic including:
Strict food standards that dictate we cannot use recycled Polypropylene plastic content in our food grade products because of the potential for recycled content to contain uncontrolled post-consumer materials (contamination). This will likely change as recycled material sources for these types become more regulated, which thankfully the industry is slowly progressing towards!
The percentage of recycled content that can be used when making a cup will need to be investigated and tested thoroughly too. Recycled materials can exhibit inferior performance to virgin materials, especially for clarity and strength, as a result of repeated exposure to chemical and thermal processes which cause molecular changes. This means it could affect the durability and ultimately the reusability of our cups! Creating something that is made to last is key in a circular economy.
*We're committed to staying on top of industry changes and being proactive so that we can adapt and adopt new technologies and solutions as they become viable. Just because a particular process or way of doing something may be the best solution currently, doesn't mean it can't or won't change in future. If you have any ideas or latest innovations in this area, we’d love to hear them!
-
Yes, our cups can be recycled when they are no longer suitable for reuse. Tumbler and taster cups are polypropolene (5) and can be recycled in curbside recycling.
The good news is that our volumes for recycling are typically very low and infrequent due to their reusable and durable design.
When we have Tumblers or Tasters that can no longer be reused or repurposed we have a small business Victorian recycling partner who uses the plastic to create wheelie bins and flower pots. For individuals, the cups are commonly kerbside recyclable through the majority of councils across Australia.
Our Stemless or Flutes styles can be recycled into things such as reusable coffee cup parts by a number of different local businesses that are provided to us on an as needed basis directly by our plastics supplier. While we can’t guarantee that these styles will be recycled if you put them in your kerbside recycling (as type #7 is a catch all) we do encourage you to get inventive with repurposing them first. At Bettercup, we have personally used ours for growing plants from scraps, candle holders and other creative projects. Share and tag us in any ideas you have, we would absolutely love to see them!
*Recycling is the last option we take and we do focus on trying to repurpose all of our styles of cups before making the decision to recycle. Community organisations and kindergartens are just a couple of examples of the places we reach out to to see if they could use them things such as for growing seedlings, propagation, play toys (kids seem to love the colours and measuring with the cups!). If you have or know of a place that may like to receive our cups that we can no longer rent or sell please contact us at: hello@bettercup.com.au.
-
We have rental reusable cups that have been in circulation since 2018 and have been used thousands of times. IML print lasts longer than pad print, which can scratch over time but the time the print will last will depend on how the cup is used.
Similar to any other plastic container (think your rigid plastic food containers at home), our cups will last a long time. The print is the first thing to deteriorate and over time the cups will begin to show general signs of wear and tear through continued reuse.
-
Reusable tasters and tumblers are mode from polypropolene and take a lot of deliberate force to break, so we rarely see them broken.
Our reusable stemless and flute cups are made from very sturdy, durable Tritan plastic which we have not seen break under any human force.
Email us for a reusable cup sample if you want to try them out yourself!
washing bettercups reusable cups.
-
Yes bettercup reusable cups are dishwasher safe! The durable plastics we use to manufacture the cups means they can be washed hundreds or thousands of times safely, even in your home dishwasher. That’s what makes them so great for reusing over and over. The temperature of your home dishwasher can reach over 120℃, so we recommend using the top rack when washing at home.
-
Many events choose to wash their reusable cups and food dishes on site, but your event logistics and constraints will determine what works best.
We’ve created a free Washing Reusables On Site Events Guide here, which can help you determine the right set up for your event and then guide you through each step to ensure it is a huge success!
-
Yes, washing onsite at events can be done to strict food safety standards to ensure it meets all requirements.
Have a chat to us about your specific event or venue requirements and we will guide you with implementing best practice hygienic washing yourself or take care of it for you.
custom printing types for reusable cups.
-
The term "in mould labelling" is directly derived from the technique: a preprinted polypropylene (PP) label is placed in a mould. This mould has the shape of the end product, e.g. the shape of a bettercup.
Then the molten PP is added to the mould. It fuses with the label, and while curing, takes the shape of the mould.
Result: label and cup become one. Aww.
The IML printing method for reusable cups is limited to certain cups shapes and designs, which at bettercup is our Tumbler 425ml beer cup and Taster 285ml smaller cup.
IML printing allows for a full wrap, multi coloured reusable cup to be manufactured with outstanding results and cheaper at scale than other printing methods.
-
Pad printing uses a silicone pad to transfer an image onto an item like a stamp. A machine holds the product steady and presses it into an ink plate before it’s stamped by the pad.
Pad printing can decorate our reusable cups and food dishes because while transferring the image to the cup, the silicone pad wraps around and adapts to the shape of the cup without distorting the image.
There are size restrictions to pad printing so it works best for smaller and simple logos, and each different colour requires a new set up and print, which increases the price. You can see example photos of pad printed custom cups on our Custom Cups page.
ordering reusable products and reuse services.
-
The factors that go into the number of cups required for a festival or event include:
Style of event eg. a beer tasting festival will use more cups per person than a wedding
Number of attendees, demographic and expected drinks per person
Number of drinks sold in single-use cups previously
Whether you will be washing cups during events, or need one cup for every drink poured
Your goals with switching to reuse.
We’ve been working with events and venues since 2018 to implement reusable products and systems, and have created a calculator we use internally to help guide how many cups you should hire or purchase when switching to reusables.
Get in touch here and we are happy to share our knowledge on reuse systems!
-
Implementing a reusable model at your event or venue over the traditional make, take, dispose model requires good planning and execution pre, during and post event.
We will work with you to figure out the best solution and what parts of our services we are best suited to deliver or where just providing some guidance will work best for you.
Ask us about the things you’re not sure about - you might just need us to confirm a few details, or you might need us to create a package.
We will make suggestions based on what we think you need and you can choose from there!
-
Lead times for reusable cups varies on the type of cup and printing, detailed below:
Please allow for 3 weeks to arrange a custom pad print design on any style of reusable cup, and then shipping time on top of that. For IML reusable cups, a minimum of 6 weeks from design approval is required plus shipping time. Please note these lead times may be longer if we’re really busy and already making cups for other events, so request your quote as soon as possible and we will confirm your timeline!
For reusable rental cup quantities under 1,000 usually 1 weeks notice is sufficient but often we can get them out within 2 - 3 days. For larger quantities of reusable cups, a 2-4 week lead time applies, but remember providing as much notice as possible will ensure the styles and designs you would like is available!
Request your rental cup quote here, even if it is shorter than this and we will see what we can do to help your event switch to reusables!
-
More typical with rental orders but occasionally with new cup orders, we will check over the cups prior to shipping to ensure they are clean and ready for use straight out of the box. We do like to double check everything is in order before shipping and it doesn’t make sense to discard a perfectly good looking and functioning box.
Your cups are perfect, we promise.
-
Yes, bettercup sells unprinted reusable cups ready for immediate dispatch. We have an entire online shop for reusable products and dedicated to plain and unprinted cups. We ship the very next business day!
You can also order a sample of our reusable cups in the shop if you want to try before you buy.
