Single use plastic in The Stags

Morwenna Smart submitted on

Thursday 11th October 2018

Complete

I have recently noticed that The Stags serves drinks in the evening in plastic cups. I was wondering if they are washed and recycled, if they are made of recycled plastic and if they aren’t how is this compliant with the union’s environmental policy? Also, I’m not entirely clear on why plastic cups are necessary at all, as every other pub in the country operates with glass cups every night, and for a supposedly environmentally conscious union this doesn’t really make sense. If plastic cups are really necessary have you considered a scheme where you pay once for a cup and then reuse it throughout the year (see Cornwall’s Rock Oyster Festivals scheme as an environmentally conscious festival)? 

Answers

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Isabella Camilleri submitted on

Monday 5th November 2018

Complete

Hi Morwenna, 

Please find the response from our Services team about plastic cup usage in Stags:

"Due to the cost of “Glass” glasses, and the frequency that either they’re broken, or disappear from the bar, it isn’t cost effective to keep buying “glass” glasses in to replace these. Whilst smaller pubs and venues can operate with just glass, larger venues, like ours will switch to plastic when they either run out of glass, or feel the venue is too full to operate on a glass only policy. We have reduced our single use plastic cups to be used as little as possible in The Stag’s, and any single use plastics are placed in the University’s Recycle Bins. On Thursday Night, we operate with a slightly tougher plastic cup, which can be washed and re-used multiple times. A deposit system has been looked at, but wouldn’t work in our venue, as staff would be unable to clear up the venue until the end of the night."

 

 

If you would like to be involved in sustainability projects/ student voice advocacy about these topics please do come to the next Sustainability Zone meeting, taking place 26th November 1pm-3pm. 

 

Best wishes, 

 

Isabella Camilleri

VP Welfare

University of Southampton Students' Union