Prague launches project to reduce plastic waste through reusable cups

As of today, Prague has taken a big step towards cutting down on plastic waste in the city center. A pilot project has been launched that incorporates reusable, returnable cups at events and markets throughout Prague.

The goal of the project is to support the use of sustainable drinkware in the city center as opposed to single-use plastics at large gatherings that have traditionally used plastic cups. Switching to returnable cups will cut down on thousands of disposable cups that are thrown away at large events and markets.

The project has launched today, with the returnable cups now being utilized at Prague's farmers market at Náplavka as well as events at the Prague Exhibition Center. Additional locations and events at Prague's waterfront embankments will also use the returnable cups as opposed to disposable ones starting today.

The city has reserved a total of 2.4 million crowns for the initial a testing phase of the project; afterwards, it has been designed to switch to a commercial model without city support. The project will run over the course of 19 months, through February 2024.

"At the moment, we have established cooperation with Prague's Náplavka embankments and the Prague Exhibition Center," František Cipro, chairman of the board of directors at Prague City Tourism, states through a press release.

"We live in a time when we have to think sustainably, which is why we are starting a pilot project and providing a sustainable and eco-friendly variant of returnable cups for selected events in Prague."

Over the course of the pilot project, 50,000 reusable cups will be made available from Prague to events and marketplaces in the city center; during this time, organizers will have the opportunity to make use of the cups free of charge.

Use of the cups will be up to each individual organizer, but similar campaigns have seen vendors charge a deposit per cup (usually around 50 crowns) that is refunded when the cup is returned.

Because each cup also bears a unique Prague-themed design, they might also make for a cheap take-home souvenir for tourists. The artwork on the cups will regularly change, alongside text with the wording (in Czech and English) "for a sustainable Prague."

"I'm glad that we finally managed to launch the project of recyclable cups at Prague's Náplavka embankments," says Jan Chabr, Prague councilor for property management.

"We want to send a clear signal to the organizers because, especially during larger events, garbage from non-returnable material accumulates here."

"At the same time, the re-use of individual cups is an important step in the framework of sustainability and recyclability, and among other efforts, we think it is a positive step towards eco-friendliness."