10058150Smart REusable Cup Dispensers and REturn Kiosks (SRECDREK)ClosedCollaborative R&DISCFLinked to a global increasing population, is the increasing production, consumption and disposal of single-use plastic packaging. While plastic packaging has revolutionised the way in which we store and consume food, there are many negative impacts associated with the growing amount of plastic packaging on our planet. Single-use coffee cups have a thin plastic lining to allow it to hold liquids, meaning they cannot be recycled in normal paper recycling plants. As a result, only 2.8% of the 3.2Billion cups sold to the UK are recycled, with half a million cups being disposed of daily into landfill (WRAP, 2022). In response, Cauli has developed a unique solution to address the take-away single-use plastic packaging challenge: a tracked reusable cup borrowing and smart return kiosk scheme. Cauli's aim is to disrupt the cafe industry, helping both customers and vendors transition to reusable cups by making the process of sourcing, returning, collecting and washing reusable plastic coffee cups convenient and cheap. In this project Cauli will develop a POS system that allows anyone with a payment card to tap&go to collect and 'borrow' a reusable plastic cup free of charge for a defined period of time. This project will also upgrade Cauli's smart return kiosk to streamline the collection of returned reusable cups, which will be washed and re-distributed onsite in the cafe. Cauli will conduct HCD interviews and trials with Elior Group, the second largest catering group in the world, and with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Cauli directly addresses both the SSPPP and UK Plastics Pact to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment by 2025.