Community-based campaign Single Use Cup (SUC) Free Wanaka is celebrating Wanaka’s waste-free journey with a 15-week long ‘Lucky Cup’ winter treasure hunt.

Forty prizes have been donated by local businesses, including ski passes, store and café vouchers and gifts. They are ‘hidden’ in a different café each week, to be won by customers ordering takeaway drinks in any reusable cups, jar or mug.

The campaign, led by the hospitality sector and formed under non-profit Plastic Free Wanaka, has the ultimate goal of Wanaka becoming Aotearoa’s first single-use cup free town.

Twenty-eight local cafes and caravans have now implemented cup-lending schemes (such as Wanakup, AgainAgain or a mug library) and 11 are completely SUCfree, saving over 180,000 plastic-lined cups from landfill annually.

“This winter giveaway is a celebration of how far we’ve come and our success as a community in embracing this change,” Plastic Free Wanaka volunteer Sophie Ward said. 

“It’s an easy way to encourage tourists to participate and help protect our beautiful environment, because there are so many cup-lending options.”

New World Three Parks owner and prize donor Natashia Bartley said the initiative was “a great way to try and change habits and get more people onboard with the single-use cup free goal.”

Find places to Dine | Drink in your Wanaka App

The 2021 Wastebusters’ Resourceful Communities survey revealed 72 per cent of Wanaka residents always or usually bring their own cup when getting a hot drink - a significant increase from 60 per cent in 2019. 

Fedeli barista and SUCfree Wanaka café liaison India Clarke has reported seeing a noticeable difference in tourists’ responses to reusable coffee options this season. 

“Locals set an amazing example, but all the out-of-towners have jumped onboard straight away - especially if they’re taking a coffee up the mountain, because they know they don’t have landfill bins at Cardrona and Treble Cone anymore.”

“People used to walk out when I started explaining that we don’t do takeaway cups. Now, they think it’s a really good idea. It’s becoming the norm.” 

The Lucky Cup giveaway will run until October 27. Follow SUCfree Wanaka’s Instagram and Facebook for each week’s location.  

Image credit: SUCfree Wanaka