Love Your Mug Campaign

Ennis, Co. Clare

Love Your Mug

Ennis Tidy Towns designed and purchased 1,000 travel mugs, which they gave out free to all transition year students in Ennis, and to customers of coffee shops around the town. They also carried out research into what is thrown out in the council’s street bins, and also what items become litter. They found that a high percentage of discarded litter was disposable coffee and tea cups.

(c) Ennis Tidy Towns

Love Your Mug
(c) Ennis Tidy Towns

Love Your Mug

Ennis Tidy Towns designed and purchased 1,000 travel mugs, which they gave out free to all transition year students in Ennis, and to customers of coffee shops around the town. They also carried out research into what is thrown out in the council’s street bins, and also what items become litter. They found that a high percentage of discarded litter was disposable coffee and tea cups.

(c) Ennis Tidy Towns

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In 2010 Ennis Tidy Towns launched  “Love Your Mug Campaign” as a waste minimisation strategy among 5th and 6th year secondary school students and other customers of coffee shops. They designed and purchased 2,000 travel mugs, which they gave out free to all 5th and 6th year students in Ennis, and to customers of coffee shops around the town. They also carried out research into what is thrown out in the council’s street bins, and also what items become litter. As a result they found that a high percentage of discarded litter was disposable coffee and tea cups.

The students and people of Ennis were challenged by Ennis Tidy Towns to 'love' a mug, and to reuse it, to try and halt the use of disposable mugs. The use of the mugs had been monitored in shops in Ennis and it was found that they fit into all coffee machines. The retailers whom Ennis Tidy Towns had dealt with therefore had no issues with customers presenting with the mugs in their premises.

Ennis Tidy Towns canvassed secondary schools to promote the idea that if students were using their own mugs, that the shops they frequented would be saving money on the disposable type of mug. They would also be able to negotiate a new price with the shops as a lid and disposable cup can mean as much as 8 cent extra to the price of tea or a coffee.

When implemented it was hoped that the 'Love your mug' campaign would demonstrate that by reducing waste thereby making a contribution to combating climate change, there is a direct monetary advantage to business and savings to be made for customers. Participating in Ennis Tidy Towns 'Love Your Mug' campaign would have to make economic sense if businesses were to be a part of it and make it a success.

When Ennis Tidy Town visited the secondary schools, it was decided that students would pick the style and shape of the mug. This was considered essential since they were the people who would be using the mugs. The 5th and 6th year students were selected as a test group which it was hoped would become an example to others. At first only the 5th and 6th year students would begin using them, accept them and it was hoped avoid using disposable cups instead. Once habitual use of the mugs took hold among the transition students it was predicted that  peer pressure would influence students of younger ages to begin using the mugs also.