The retirement of the single-use cup: Inside UBC’s shift to a circular campus

“For years, I’ve been an integral and often-forgotten aspect of the lives of students, faculty, staff and visitors at UBC—the quick comfort during midterms, the silent witness to heated debates at Hero Coffee + Market at Orchard Commons, and the one who carried warmth against relentless West Coast rain as I travelled across the UBC Vancouver campus. I thought my legacy would last forever, but I will soon be an endangered species. I am a single-use coffee cup at UBC. I was once indispensable in every lecture hall, classroom, and office and part of a relentless daily tide of disposables. In fact, nearly a decade ago in 2017, 1.7 million single-use coffee cups like me, along with 2.3 million pieces of my plastic cutlery friends and 690,000 plastic bags, were handed out on the Vancouver campus. Being everywhere also meant we were also ending up everywhere. But today, most of us have become a last resort. And while I’m still here for those who occasionally forget their mug while visiting a restaurant or café on campus, my peers and I are preparing for an unplanned retirement. Putting a price on convenience My decline started with the introduction of UBC’s Zero Waste Food Ware Strategy in 2020. Under the Zero Waste Action Plan 2030, UBC set a goal to reduce waste to landfill by 50 per cent below 2019, including reducing disposable cup usage by 80 per cent across UBC Vancouver. By introducing a mandatory 25-cent fee for cups and 50 cents for containers, the university made the hidden environmental cost of my convenience visible across locations on campus, taking a significant step towards ensuring that sustainability is the only way forward. “We recognized that to reach our climate goals, we had to address the reality of our daily consumption,” said Bud Fraser, senior planning and sustainability engineer with Campus and Community Planning, who played an instrumental role in launching the program. “This strategy isn’t just about food ware; it’s about shifting the campus culture from a linear, waste-based model towards a circular economy that prioritizes reuse and recycling to keep products in use longer.” What surprised me most wasn’t the policy itself. It was how quickly it became part of daily life on campus. What started as a minor price add-on evolved into a new habit. I watched as people paused, reconsidered and reached for something reusable instead of me, especially as all outlets on campus were required to accept bring-your-own mugs. Out with the old, in with the blue Just as I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that I was growing increasingly irrelevant, UBC Vancouver launched a one-year pilot with the Friendlier program in 2025. If you’ve noticed blue containers or cups on campus, they’re all part of this program. I watch hundreds of people daily enjoying meals and beverages in reusable Friendlier containers or cups, paying a refundable deposit, scanning a QR code on the Friendlier app or website, and returning the cup to a Friendlier bin nearby for a refund. Did you know that instead of adding to the pile, Friendlier containers undergo a high-heat sanitization process that ensures they are hospital-grade clean while diverting waste from local landfills? In fact, more than 177,000 Friendlier containers have been returned on campus already since the program was launched last year. That’s over 24,000 kilograms of greenhouse gas prevented, over 10,000 kilograms of waste diverted and over 1.4 million litres of water saved. This program makes my “one-and-done” lifestyle look like it belongs to the distant past. Hundreds of customers daily opt for Friendlier reusable containers, using the app to scan their items and receive deposit refunds upon returning them to local bins. Photo credit: UBC Student Housing and Community Services. Beyond cups, you won’t see too many of my disposable food container counterparts across dining halls either. “Our All-Access Dining model is the cornerstone of our sustainability efforts,” said Colin Moore, director of UBC Food Services. “Eliminating takeout packaging and disposable cups at the source is undoubtedly a win. With All-Access Dining, UBC students can enjoy unlimited visits and a global menu featuring meals prepared in-house from scratch. By prioritizing healthy, dine-in meals and planet-friendly choices, this program is turning our dining halls into the heart of the first-year experience, proving that building community and advancing a sustainable food system is a winning recipe.” Turning strategy into support What I’ve observed is that UBC didn’t just pass one rule; it built a support system to make change stick. Faculty and staff received funding and practical tools through the Workplace Sustainability Fund and Mindful Consumption Guide to replace single-use office disposables with durable kitchenware. At the same time, vendors were supported through this transition, with support from the Zero Waste team at UBC Campus and Community Planning. “Sustainability is a team sport,” said Lisa Fisher, director of communications and marketing with Student Housing and Community Services (SHCS). “Our Climate Action Framework empowers our teams to be architects of the tailored approaches that support their units and the communities on campus they serve. We work relentlessly to create systems that make the sustainable choice the easiest choice, so the community naturally gravitates towards it.” UBC’s All-Access Dining supports waste reduction by swapping out disposable cups and containers for a reusable model, all while serving fresh, in-house meals. Photo credit: UBC Student Housing and Community Services. From kitchens to lounges to bustling cafés, I’ve seen how these supports turn good intentions into default behaviours. When reuse is easier than disposal, even a cup like me knows the writing is on the wall. As UBC works towards the Climate Action Plan 2030 and its target of a 50-per-cent reduction in waste disposal on campus, being at UBC feels different. The bins are cleaner, and the Sort It Out stations actually work because the materials being fed into them belong there. I might be an endangered species, but I’m not bitter. I’ve had my time during midterms, through rain-soaked pathways and amidst countless conversations. I’m content to make room for a more sustainable approach. UBC has shown that when people are given the right tools and a clear vision, everyday habits can change. My cup may no longer runneth over, and that feels like progress. Explore practical tools, funding opportunities, and sustainability resources across campus. Correction: This story has been revised to reflect the latest data for the Friendlier program on campus, as of April 2026.

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