Echuca business My Coffee Cart has joined a new initiative aimed at making sustainability easier for consumers.
Borrow by Huskee is a simple way to reduce disposable coffee cup usage.
The first step is to download the Borrow by Huskee app in Google Play or the App Store.
Consumers scan a QR code at participating venues, such as My Coffee Cart, and are given a Huskee reusable cup, also with a QR code.
This cup registers in the app for the consumer and for the venue.
When the coffee is finished, the consumer returns the cup and it gets to live another day, unlike its disposable counterpart, largely sitting in landfill for decades.
“It saves a cup and a lid that’s disposable,” My Coffee Cart owner Daniel Mackrell said.
“Ours are biodegradable sometimes or compostable ... but it’s that next step where it’s reused.
“It’s part of our Tourism Emission Reduction Commitment.”
Being a Victorian Tourism Industry Council Quality Tourism accredited business, an important part of the program is looking for more sustainable tourism solutions.
My Coffee Cart services a range of events in the region, and Mr Mackrell feels that wherever the business can consider its commitment, it should.
“Each time that we can improve our sustainability is what we’re after,” he said.
“Our lithium batteries, solar power, this was the next stage of it.
“We’re always conscious of working through what is better, not just for the environment, but for our customers.”
Through the Borrow by Huskee app, My Coffee Cart customers will automatically join a loyalty program, rewarding them with their 10th coffee free, provided they are using the reusable cup system.
Venues across the country are part of the Borrow by Huskee program, so coffee lovers can have multiple loyalty programs at once.
Customers are encouraged to return their reusable cup when they are finished; for example, if they are leaving a market or sports game that My Coffee Cart is brewing at.
A fee of $3 will apply if the cup is not returned after 14 days.
“They can actually take that cup and go to anywhere else where there’s other Huskee providers,” Mr Mackrell said.
“We’re part of a network ... a growing initiative.”
Through the VTIC program, My Coffee Cart is nominating for its annual tourism awards, jumping on board for initiatives such as this to set it apart from other businesses.
To learn more about the Borrow by Huskee program and to download the app, head to borrowbyhuskee.co
To find My Coffee Cart, follow it on Facebook via facebook.com/Mycoffeecartoz