How Green is your Caffeen?
Photo: Small Acts Big Change
By Rebecca Jaensch, PSC Waste Education Officer
Green Caffeen is a FREE reusable swap and go system for eco-focussed cafés and coffee lovers across Australia. This means you don’t have to remember your reusable cup every time and cafés reduce the amount of single use disposable cups bought.
Across our region now
Green Caffeen arrived in the Hunter region in March 2021. Port Stephens along with Cessnock, Lake Macquarie, Singleton, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Upper Hunter and Central Coast Councils joined forces as part of the Hunter Joint Organisation.
How it works
If you visit a café on the Central Coast, receive your Green Caffeen Cup at a participating café you can then return it to a participating café back in Port Stephens.
Port Stephens leading the way
Over 25 cafés have signed up and there are over 300 active users in Port Stephens. This has diverted 12,118 single use coffee cups from landfill – more than any other participating Council area!
We had support from Plastic Free Port Stephens for the initiative and they were able to bring together cafés which adopted the program early.
As Port Stephens opens back up with restrictions easing, we would love to see this program reach new heights with more cafés and users signing up and diverting waste from landfill.
Get Involved!
If you are interesting in participating as a coffee (or hot chocolate) lover – or maybe you know of a café which would like to be included in the scheme, visit the Green Caffeen website.
Remember – single use disposable coffee cups are not recyclable and have to be placed into your red garbage bin, not in your yellow recycling bin.