Salute the Reuser at Melbourne International Coffee Expo

The Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE) will take place from 23-26 May 2013 at the Melbourne Showgrounds. The event, now in its second year, is expected to attract over 10,000 visitors. Almost 150 exhibitors have signed up so far.

A highlight of the 2013 event will be the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup. This will be the first time the two coffee competitions are held on Australian soil.

It is estimated that 30,000 disposable cups will be used over the four-day MICE event. In an effort to counteract this huge amount of rubbish, Sustainability Sponsor KeepCup has launched an environmental initiative geared towards waste minimisation.

‘Salute the Reuser’ aims to encourage re-use and sustainability as a preferable alternative over use-and-discard attitudes to coffee cups. It also celebrates the millions who have already pledged their involvement to the Reuse Revolution.

By providing a complimentary wash station for re-usable cups at MICE, KeepCup hopes to raise public awareness and understanding of the need to develop sustainable daily habits. It is hoped that coffee providers will be encouraged to change from the current ‘throw-away’ mentality, both by their own volition and by public demand.

KeepCup CEO Abigail Forsyth said, “Salute the Reuser celebrates the good people who have made re-use a habit. It highlights the ongoing environmental, financial and social impact of a simple act over time and volume.”

KeepCup has already offset hundreds of millions of disposable cups from being diverted to landfill. Since the brand’s inception, over three million coffee drinkers from countries such as the US, UK and Australia have diverted 3.5 billion disposable cups from landfill.

KeepCup will also be using this year’s MICE to raise funds and provide a better future for families in coffee-growing communities around the world through the Coffee Kids initiative. As part of this year’s World Barista Championships, KeepCup will donate 10c per cup washed during the event and expects to raise $3000 for Coffee Kids.