Reusable utensils

A coffee cup may be used for just a few minutes. Brussels Airport tested whether one cup could be used again and again instead of becoming waste after a single drink. 

For two months, passengers at two terminal bars received their drink in a reusable cup. After finishing their coffee, they could return their cup back at a collection point. It was then washed and prepared for the next passenger. 

Sounds simple. But reuse is challenging at an airport. Passengers are often in a hurry, carry luggage and unlikely to return to the same place. Returning a cup had to be as easy as getting one. 

The trial tested two approaches: one with a deposit and one without. Would passengers take the time to return their cup before boarding? It also looked behind the scenes at what it takes to make reuse work at scale, from collection and cleaning to hygiene and staff workload.