Choose to Reuse Challenge

About the campaign

Every coffee, snack, or lunch served in takeaway packaging leaves a mark, and it’s not just on your wallet.

At UNSW, we toss out an estimated 2.5 million single-use packaging items every year. That’s coffee cups, food bowls, cutlery, and containers used once, then sent to the bin.

The coffee cups example

If you lined up just the coffee cups used on campus in a year, they’d stretch from Kensington to Parramatta and back.

It’s not just about waste, it’s your health, too.

Single-use packaging can also affect our health. Many takeaway items are lined with plastics or chemical coatings designed to resist leaks and grease. Under certain heat conditions, these molecules break down into microplastics and chemicals that are now found in our water, food, and even our bodies. Research shows we may be ingesting a credit card’s worth of plastic each week, while PFAS used in some coatings are linked to serious health concerns including hormonal disruption, immune system suppression, and increased cancer risk.¹^,²^,³

The good news? You have the solution in your hands.

Choosing to reuse—your cup, bowl, bottle, container or cutlery:

✅ cuts down waste,

✅ reduces your exposure to harmful chemicals, and

✅ helps accelerate the transition to a sustainable society and planet.

Join the Choose to Reuse challenge.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about leading by example and helping reuse become the new normal on campus.

Your guide to being a BYO and reuse champion

Here are three easy ways to cut waste while enjoying your favourite food and drinks on campus.

🍽️ Dining in?

Choose to eat or drink from a retailer that serves meals in reusable cups, cutlery, and plates.

🚶 On the go?

Bring your own (BYO) clean cup, container, or cutlery and ask your retailer to fill it.

Bonus: Many partner retailers offer a BYO discount!

😬 Forgot your reusables?

No worries. Ask your retailer not to add a lid to your takeaway cup or container. Only take what you really need.

Your kit for reusing on campus

Cup or mug with or without a lid

Food container or bowl – Make sure it’s microwave safe. If not, transfer to a plate or bowl before heating to avoid microplastic leaching.

Cutlery set – Stainless steel is the most durable kit.

Cloth pouch or bag – To store your dirty items after use and keep your backpack leak-free.

Water bottle – Refill it at the many filtered water stations around campus.

💡 Pro tip: Store your BYO kit near your bag or laptop so it’s easy to grab before you leave. For staff with access to an equipped kitchenette, reuse the available crockery and return it after use.

Do retailers accept my reusables?

Yes! All retailers on campus accept BYO cups and mugs. Just make sure yours is:

clean

easy to pour into

a suitable size for your drink order

For food containers, plates, and bowls:

it’s at the retailer’s discretion

bring it clean, heat-safe, and similar in size to their regular servings

Pro tip: A kind smile and a thank you go a long way in helping normalise reuse culture!

Where can I dine-in?

Several retailers offer reusable mugs, plates, and cutlery for dine-in customers—just ask when you order. It’s perfect for lunch breaks or coffee catch ups.

Where can I rinse or wash reusables?

Staff: Use your kitchenettes

Students: Access sink stations in libraries and most campus buildings. Find them on the UNSW sustainability map (Kensington campus).

Where can I get reusables?

You might not need to! Start by checking what you already have:

a spare mug or glass

stainless steel cutlery

a takeaway container

a tote bag

If you want to invest, try:

op shops for affordable, upcycled reusables

brands like Huskee (cups made from coffee husk), Pottery for the Planet, or RePlated (lunch boxes made from ocean plastic)

Prioritise:

durability (so it lasts)

safe materials (glass, ceramic, stainless steel, PP5 plastic)

Why reusables instead of single-use packaging?

Each year, thousands of single-use cups, containers, and cutlery items are thrown away on campus. At least one in four items in our general waste bins is food or drink packaging. These materials—whether plastic or “compostable”—can’t be recycled and are currently processed as fuel replacements for industry.

They also come with health risks. Many takeaway containers contain microplastics or PFAS chemicals, which can leach into food and drinks. Both have been linked to immune system disruption and other health concerns.

And when it comes to the planet, single use just doesn’t add up. Even “compostable” packaging requires energy, trees, water, and virgin materials for something used for less than 10 minutes. By contrast, a durable reusable like a plastic PP5 cup becomes the lower-impact option after just 5 washes for energy use and 3 washes for emissions compared to a single-use cup (Reuse wins report).

Isn’t cardboard/compostable single-use better than reusable plastic?

It’s not a silver bullet solution to replace plastics. Many so-called compostable containers are not actually composted in NSW, and they often contain PFAS, which are used to make packaging grease-proof. These “forever chemicals” don’t break down and can enter your food, water, and body.

Also, compostable items still:

use virgin materials (unless made from recycled pulp)

often require high heat to decompose

cause issues in compost and recycling facilities due to the plastic lining most contain.

Reusables made from glass, stainless steel, ceramic, or PP5 plastic offer a safer, more sustainable solution over time.

Environmental Sustainability