CHOOSE TO REUSE

If it's single-use.

It's a waste.

Reusable cups and containers are one of the simplest ways consumers can cut waste and reduce pollution. Small daily choices add up quickly — and choosing to reuse is a powerful place to start.

Why single-use is a problem

Convenience comes at a cost

Single-use cups and food containers are used for minutes, but their impact lasts for decades. Despite common myths and fancy green packaging, most cannot be recycled or composted. They end up in landfill.

In landfill, they don’t break down in a helpful way for our soil. Instead, they:

Leach chemicals into soil and waterways
Release greenhouse gases including CO₂
Break into microplastics that persist in our environment

This is the true cost of convenience culture — waste that lingers long after we’ve finished our coffee or meal.

The benefits of reusables

Safer and healthier

Many single-use products contain plastics and chemical coatings. Research continues to highlight concerns around:

Microplastics shedding from single-use coffee cups
PFAS (‘forever chemicals’) commonly found in some takeaway food packaging, such as clamshell containers

NSW Health has advised avoiding products containing PFAS — yet for consumers, it’s often impossible to know which single-use items do or do not contain them. Reusables help remove this uncertainty.

Less to landfill

Reusable cups and containers dramatically reduce waste, litter and pollution. While they take more resources to make upfront, they quickly ‘pay back’ their environmental impact after repeated use — often in just a handful of uses.

Every reuse avoids the need to produce, transport and dispose of another single-use item.

Across Northern NSW, North East Waste has already worked closely with events, markets and schools to make the switch to reusables, saving more than 20,000 single-use items from going to landfill.

Practical and stylish

Think about reusable water bottles. Once a novelty, they’re now a daily essential and a personal style choice. Reusable cups and containers fit seamlessly into modern life — practical, durable, and designed to be seen.

Choosing the right reusable
The best option is the one you’ll use again and again. Common choices include:

Bamboo or plant-based composites
Recycled or durable plastic
Glass or ceramic
Stainless steel

Even reusable plastic cups or containers are still far better for the environment than any single-use alternative.

Across Northern NSW, North East Waste has already worked closely with events, markets and schools to make the switch to reusables, saving tens of thousands of single use items from going to landfill. We know there's alot of confusion around 'compostable' cups and bowls - but the fact is that these items can't be composted or recycled in our bins in NSW. And they do NOT break down in landfill.

For more information on our Reusables Campaign, or if you want to find out how your event can make the transition to reusables. please contact us.