City of Santa Barbara and Dune Coffee Roasters Launch ‘Choose to Reuse’ Program With Increased Discount

Encouraging customers to bring their own or choose “for here” cup.

The City of Santa Barbara’s Clean Community Division is launching an exciting new pilot program, in partnership with Dune Coffee Roasters, aimed at reducing single-use coffee cup waste - one reusable cup at a time.

Beginning June 4 and running through the end of August, the city will match Dune’s existing 50-cent discount when customers use a reusable or “for here” cup, offering a total discount of $1. Customers who bring their own reusable cup or choose to stay and sip from a café cup will receive the full discount.

In addition to the discount, customers can upgrade to a reusable clay cup crafted by GaeaStar, offering both style and sustainability at no charge. As part of this pilot program, Dune Coffee shops will display educational signage highlighting the environmental impact of disposable cups and the benefits of reusables.

“This partnership is about creating everyday opportunities for people to make more sustainable choices,” said Julie Lawrence, Clean Community Manager. “In the City of Santa Barbara, we generate about 7 pounds of trash per person per day - significantly more than the national average of 4.9 pounds. Reducing single-use items like coffee cups is a way to cut that number down.”

Each year, over 80 billion disposable cups are used in the United States. An estimated 16 billion of those end up in landfills and producing them requires the destruction of more than 6.5 million trees annually. Most paper cups are lined with plastic, making them extremely difficult to recycle.