Circular&Co and the University of Chichester’s Tap&Reuse scheme for reusable cups – reported to have prevented the use of 28,000+ disposable cups so far – has been nominated for a Times Higher Education Award.
In September 2025, the University of Chichester joined forces with Circular&Co to launch the Tap&Reuse system. Students and staff are encouraged to buy drinks in a reusable cup, then take it to a designated return point to be collected, cleaned, and reused.
Consumers have eight days to return their cup, otherwise they will be charged £3. Users can scan an on-pack QR code to check how much time they have left and find nearby return points – a feature hoped to simplify the scheme and maximize the return rate.
The scheme has been introduced at five café locations across the university’s campuses in Bishop Otter and Bognor Regis. So far, consumers are thought to have borrowed 12,225 cups, with 90% returned within three days on average.
Circular&Co provided the necessary equipment to bring the platform to life, including installation and full operational support. Additionally, it monitors and automatically replaces cup stocks.
The company also estimates that the scheme has prevented the use of 28,064 single-use cups to date.
Now the University of Chichester has been named a finalist in the Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership category of the Times Higher Education Awards.
“Removing single-use cups from our campuses has been a long-term objective for Chichester,” says Lucy Ferre, Energy and Carbon manager at the University of Chichester. “We knew the enormous waste and carbon emissions they produce could be avoided, and that’s precisely what we’ve been striving for over the past year.
“It was imperative that we worked with an organisation that embodied circularity and had experience in launching scalable reusable cup schemes. Circular&Co. has been that supportive partner right from the outset.”
Circular&Co founder Dan Dicker added: “The success of reusable cup schemes depends just as much on the system around them as the product itself. We take pride in seeing that over 28,000 disposable cups have so far been saved, in addition to a return rate that for years so many systems have been unable to reach due to the complex processes attached to them.
“High return rates are made possible when reuse is made simple, which is something the University of Chichester also understood and now thoroughly deserves recognition for through its nomination for such a reputable award.”
The winners will be announced at the Times Higher Education Awards ceremony on 26 November in Birmingham, UK.
Tap&Reuse has also been implemented at The British Library in London. Reportedly, Tap&Reuse has a 97% return rate and has prevented the consumption of 5,000 single-use cups and their lids at this venue.
In other news, the New European Reuse Alliance recently announced the first recipients of its Reuse Champions Award during the REuse Economy Expo in Paris. Unpackaged founder Catherine Conway, Bocoloco founder and Go Réemploi operator Alexis Dusanter, and Tübingen mayor Boris Palmer all received an award for their contributions to reuse initiatives.
TOMRA Reuse has also installed two return machines at Freiburg Central Station, Germany. Operating alongside the established RECUP network, these machines are hoped to integrate automated returns and help consumers find a convenient return point for their cups without entering a participating café.
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