Don’t be a mug, use a reusable cup

From Elmo laden ceramic mugs, to cups adorned with “Best Dad” and Dora the Explorer, the range of mugs in Ocean Grind’s mug library might be eclectic, but their message is not.

“At Ocean Grind we’ve always tried to encourage the use of bring your own coffee cups, offering a 50-cent discount since day one. We found that a common problem is that people sometimes forget to bring their own cup,” owner Mark Clatworthy said.

“So, we thought it would be good for people to be able to borrow a mug from us, hence the ‘mug library’ was established (back in June 2017).

“If a customer forgets their BYO cup or if they don’t own one, they are welcome to borrow a mug from our library. They still receive a 50-cent discount for using a mug instead of a single-use cup and they can either return it, or just keep it and use it at other cafes.”

Mr Clatworthy said the mug library consists of unwanted mugs that have been donated by the community after a couple of call outs on social media resulted in an influx of donations.

“We were overwhelmed with the response. We do end up with some interesting mugs – it’s great seeing people drink from an Elmo, Dora the Explorer or a ‘Best Dad’ mug,” he said.

“Our aim is to reduce the usage and need for single-use cups. By offering a regular old mug, I think it helps create awareness that you don’t need a fancy BYO cup – there are some simple alternatives.”

Mr Clatworthy said the community response had been fantastic with many choosing to ditch single use cups for a “quirky” mug.

“To further encourage our customers, we offered a prize of a custom surfboard (from local shaper Corey Graham) for bringing their own cup during Plastic Free July,” he said.

“The percentage of reusable takeaway cups being used jumped from 35 per cent to 50 per cent in that month. We were stoked with the result and hope to continue increasing the usage of reusable cups.”

He said alongside wife Kim and their three daughters, the coffee shop which has been running for the past five years, would continue to have a strong sustainability ethos.

Ocean Grind is open Monday-Friday 7.30am-2pm and Sat 8am-1pm. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @oceangrind.