Bunzl Catering Supplies is introducing Tap&Reuse™, a practical returnable cup scheme designed to help catering and hospitality operators reduce reliance on single-use cups in a simple, customer-friendly way.

Supported by Circular&Co, Tap&Reuse enables customers to borrow a reusable cup, return it to an approved collection point after use, and have it washed and put back into circulation. With no app to download, no upfront deposit and no need for customers to scan cups back in, the scheme removes many of the barriers that can make reuse difficult to adopt in busy foodservice environments.

How Tap&Reuse works

When ordering a drink, the customer taps the Tap&Reuse terminal to pre-authorise a £0.00 payment for the returnable cup and lid. The barista then scans the cup out before serving the drink.

After use, the customer returns the cup and lid to an approved drop-off bin. If returned within the agreed timeframe, no charge is applied; if not, a small charge is taken and the customer keeps the cup. Operators then scan, wash and return the cups to circulation.

A practical solution for catering and hospitality

For hospitality, workplace catering, healthcare, education, travel and other high-footfall venues, Tap&Reuse provides a lower-waste alternative that supports sustainability goals while maintaining a familiar service experience for customers and staff.

The scheme is particularly suited to sites with a captive consumer base, where drinks are bought and consumed on site and cups can be easily returned to designated collection points. Bunzl Catering Supplies can support customers in assessing suitability, mobilisation and supply of returnable cups and lids.

Proven success at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

Tap&Reuse has already delivered strong results at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, where the scheme has been in place since January 2026 at the Lightbox Café & Bar and the DiSH Bar. Introduced by Bunzl Catering Supplies in collaboration with Eurest, Compass Group UK&I and Foodbuy Group, it has helped the site transition from single-use cups to a returnable solution.

In the first four months, 5,875 returnable cups were borrowed and 5,625 were returned, delivering an impressive 96% return rate. The results demonstrate how a well-designed returnable cup scheme can achieve high levels of customer engagement while supporting lower-waste operations.

Sam Mitchell, Business Development & Contract Director, Eurest, Compass Group UK & Ireland, said: “Tap&Reuse has been a fantastic success at Harwell and such a simple system to implement. We have successfully transitioned from single-use cups to a zero-waste returnable solution with little to no stress. For both customers and staff, it has quickly become the new normal.”

Shezmin Madhani, Senior National Account Manager at Bunzl Catering Supplies, added: “Tap&Reuse is a strong example of how Bunzl can bring the right product and service innovation to market quickly, helping customers reduce waste and lower carbon footprint in line with their sustainability goals.”

Click here for the full case study.

Helping operators make reuse the new normal

As operators continue to seek practical ways to reduce waste, Tap&Reuse offers a simple, scalable and supported route away from single-use cups, helping catering and hospitality businesses introduce reuse in a way that works in real-world service environments.

For more information about Tap&Reuse supported by Circular&Co, please contact Bunzl Catering Supplies today – or click here.