The journey to cut single-use waste can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.

A BYO (bring-your-own) Cup Day is a fun and effective way for cafes to lead by example.

It can also create promotional opportunities to attract a new audience and new customers to your business.

So, what is a BYO Cup Day?

It’s a dedicated day when your cafe aims to hit its highest rate of reusable cup use. Some cafes even go completely single-use cup free for the day. The idea is to raise awareness, build new habits, and show your community what’s possible.

This guide walks you through how to host a successful BYO Cup Day, from building up community engagement in the month beforehand, to measuring success and creating lasting change.

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR DATE

Pick a date 1-2 months away to host your BYO Cup Day. This gives you time to build awareness, promote the event and help your community form new habits.

Consider choosing a day that aligns with a sustainability theme (like Plastic Free July) as an engagement focus.

STEP 2: SET UP YOUR TRACKING SYSTEM

To measure impact, set up a simple system to count how many reusable cups are used in your cafe each week.

You can use your POS, a chalkboard, a whiteboard tally, or a customer-facing scoreboard. Avoid using paper tallies as they’re often forgotten during busy periods.

This weekly data will become your baseline and help you track improvements over the month, aiming for your best numbers on BYO Cup Day.

STEP 3: SET YOUR CAFE UP FOR REUSE

Make it easier for your customers to choose reusables:

• Display signage encouraging BYO habits. Put these in high-traffic areas like your counter and coffee machine.

• Consider starting a mug library with donated or second-hand mugs. You can call out on social media or ask customers to bring it their old mugs.

STEP 4: PREPARE YOUR TEAM

Make sure your staff understand the purpose of BYO Cup Day and feel confident talking to customers about it. A prepared and enthusiastic team can make a huge difference in how your message is received.

• Brief your team on the goals and timeline of the campaign.

• Offer talking points for how to explain BYO Cup Day to customers.

• Get staff involved by giving them a role (e.g. tally tracking, mug library monitor, giveaways).

  
  

STEP 5: BUILD EXCITEMENT FOR THE DAY

Changes take time, so we suggest spending the month leading up to your BYO Cup Day helping new habits form.

• Run and promote giveaways where BYO users can win free coffees or vouchers.

• Take plenty of photos showing customers using reusables and post these on your socials.

• Set up a selfie station and encourage customers to take selfies with their reusable cups and post to their socials, using hashtags like #BYOSelfie or #BYOMugshot, and tagging your business.

• Collaborate with local influencers to boost visibility.

• Post weekly updates on your progress (reusables used/single-use cups saved).

• Share and reshare posts you're tagged in.

• Partner with neighbouring businesses to cross-promote.

• Promote BYO Cup day and encourage people to come on the day by sharing your goals and offering customers free coffees or discounts for BYO on the day.

• Connect with your local media and ask them to do a story to promote the day, or to come along on the day itself.

• Print reminders on takeaway cups to prompt customers to bring a reusable next time.

  
  

STEP 6: HOST YOUR BYO CUP DAY

On the day itself:

• Make sure staff are ready to engage customers with positivity. Encourage them to explain. why reducing single use matters.

• Capture plenty of content.

• Run live social media stories.

• Keep the mood fun and inspiring!

STEP 7: REFLECT AND KEEP IT GOING

After the event, tally up your final reusable numbers. Share the results on social media with a celebratory post.

Keep the momentum going by hosting regular BYO Cup Days. The more consistent you are, the more likely habits will stick.

One day, your cafe could be completely single-use cup free!