Rubí expands reusable cup system to cut festival waste

Reusable plastic cups were first introduced in the late 1990s at the University of Barcelona and have since spread to large concerts, festivals and municipal celebrations. For nearly a decade the town of Rubí has been using a deposit‑return scheme for its annual festival, providing around 30,000 cups each year and recovering about 20,000 of them for cleaning and reuse. The system charges a €1‑2 deposit, collects used cups at designated points, washes them and stores them for up to 300 cycles, thereby reducing single‑use waste.

Environmental groups such as Rezero argue that many festivals lack a return element, turning reusable cups into a marketing tool rather than a genuine sustainability measure. They note that without mandatory return, the cups can end up in waste streams, negating ecological benefits. A regulation introduced in July 2023 obliges event organisers to adopt reusable‑cup systems but does not enforce the return process, prompting Rezero to call for stricter rules and possible sanctions. The reuse model also creates more jobs – up to 296 positions compared with fewer than 50 in recycling or incineration – according to Rezero data.