Starbucks tests a program of reusable cups at London Gatwick Airport

Starbucks has launched a month of testing a program of reusable cups at London's Gatwick Airport.

Customers at its south terminal will be able to request a free reusable cup or pay 5 pence (6 cents) for a paper cup. If customers opt for the reusable cup, they will be able to drop it at five different locations on the terminal before boarding, the coffee giant announced on Sunday.

Last year, Starbucks set up fees for paper cups in all its British coffees. The proceeds of this tax were donated to the United Kingdom's environmental charity, Hubbub, which funds the reusable cup test and other environmental projects.

About 7 million paper cups are used at the airport each year, of which about 5.3 million are recycled. With the new program, approximately 2,000 reusable cups will be used at the terminal.

"Working with Hubbub and Gatwick aims to help create a new culture of reuse at any time by giving customers the opportunity to choose a reusable cup instead of paper, for free," said Jaz Rabadia, director of the company. energy and sustainability, in a statement. "Our goal is to save 7,000 disposable cups during the month to determine the best ways to reuse in places where it's usually harder to do, such as airports."

To achieve this goal, 250 customers should ask for reusable cups every day.

Gatwick employees will collect the cups at collection points, wash them and return them to Starbucks for reuse.

Rachel Thompson, Airport Sustainability Manager, expressed her support for the test, which she said was consistent with Gatwick's broader environmental goals.

Trewin Restorick, CEO of Hubbub, said that an airport was an ideal environment for this test because it is a closed environment and typically generates large amounts of paper waste. It is also planned to continue additional programs.

"What we learn here will provide valuable information on how to deploy a reusable test not only in other airports but in many other environments," he said in a press release. "The goal of the test is to help create a new culture of reuse at any time and to explore how customers react by giving up their mugs to wash them and use them again . "