Sip, Return, Repeat: The first citywide reusable cup system in the U.S.

About This Project

Summary

The Petaluma Reusable Cup Project is a bold initiative that explores an ambitious question: how might an entire community shift away from wasteful, single-use packaging? Instead of single-use cups, participating businesses serve every drink in a reusable cup at no cost to the customer. Global brands and local businesses use the same cups and invite their customers to return them via a citywide network of purple bins. Cups are then collected, washed, sanitized then delivered back to stores.

Goals & Objectives

Every year in the U.S., 50 billion single-use cups are used and wasted. Working with global brands, independent businesses, and city government, we designed a reusable cup system to prove that reuse can become a delightful everyday experience for consumers in communities across the country.

Results & Impact

The first activation ran as a pilot in Petaluma in 2024, where it became one of the most successful reuse pilots in the world. Over 220,000 cups were collected in just three months — an unprecedented result that paves the way for more reusable systems. An expanded program is launching in 2026.