Lisbon launches Europe’s first city-wide reusable cup system with Tomra, aiming to reduce waste and promote sustainable consumption habits.
Lisbon has officially become the first European capital to implement a city-wide reusable cup network, thanks to a collaboration between the Lisbon City Council and Norwegian company Tomra. This groundbreaking initiative marks a major step in the city’s commitment to sustainability and the reduction of single-use plastics.
The pilot phase of the program began on June 26, 2025, with the installation of Tomra’s reverse vending machines at two popular nightlife hubs—Praça de São Paulo and Praça do Príncipe Real. A full rollout of the system across central Lisbon is scheduled for October 2025. The new initiative will standardize the use of a dedicated "Lisbon cup" across participating bars and restaurants. Customers will receive drinks in reusable cups for a €0.60 deposit, which can be refunded in full when the cup is returned to a nearby Tomra collection machine using a contactless card or smartphone. No registration is required, ensuring a seamless and accessible user experience.
The reusable cup system comes in response to Lisbon’s ban on single-use plastic cups in hospitality venues, which came into effect on July 1, 2024. While some venues had transitioned to cups labeled as “reusable,” many lacked the infrastructure to support actual reuse. These cups often used more plastic than single-use versions and offered no refund incentive, leading customers to discard them on the streets—a common issue in the city’s entertainment districts, where roughly 25,000 cups are used nightly.
The new system aims to combat this problem by providing a practical and sustainable alternative. Tomra oversees the entire logistics chain, from collecting and sanitizing the returned cups to redistributing them to participating establishments. The system is powered by Tomra’s Rotake platform, which uses serialized QR codes to track each cup’s lifecycle. Returned cups are automatically inspected, cleaned, and then redistributed via a subscription model or on-demand through an online portal.
According to a study by Eunomia, a reusable plastic cup needs to be reused at least six times to outperform the most sustainable single-use alternative (recycled cardboard cups). Achieving this level of efficiency requires at least an 82% return rate. Tomra aims to exceed this with a target of 85% in Lisbon—building on the success of its Aarhus, Denmark pilot, where over 1 million cups have been returned since January 2024, achieving that benchmark.
Lisbon City Councillor Rui Cordeiro emphasized that the initiative demonstrates the city’s commitment to environmental leadership and cultural transformation. Similarly, Geir Sæther of Tomra Reuse highlighted the broader significance, saying it’s “not just about cups—it’s about rethinking how cities manage resources.” Portugal’s largest hospitality association, AHRESP, is actively supporting the rollout by encouraging venues to join, viewing it as an opportunity to lead the shift toward a more circular economy.
