A&W launches reusable, exchangeable cup program to tackle single-use cup waste

VANCOUVER – A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. says it’s launching an exchangeable and reusable cup program across the country in a bid to reduce waste.

The Vancouver-based fast food chain says its new A&W One Cup program will allow customers to pay $3 for an exchangeable cup when they order a beverage.

When they return to the chain for a drink again, A&W will exchange the cup for a cleaned and sanitized one and give the customer a 20-cent discount.

Cups can be exchanged at any A&W locations that serve drinks in the company’s glass mugs.

The company says the program’s goal is to fight waste by tackling the more than one billion single-use cups that end up in landfills in Canada every year.

A pilot of the program has so far prevented more than 55,000 cups from ending up in landfills. That figure is expected to reach the millions in the first year with the program’s expansion, according to the company.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2023.