Starbucks’ Cup Competition Rewards Innovations for Reuse. Winner: the “Karma Cup”

The winner of a competition sponsored by Starbucks to gather ideas for reducing non-recyclable paper cup use isn’t a cup at all, but a concept for encouraging customers to bring their own cups for possible free drinks.

The Betacup competition offered a total of $20,000 for ideas that could eliminate paper cup consumption. Starbucks sponsored it as part of its efforts to only offer reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.

The winning idea was the Karma Cup, a simple concept for putting a chalkboard by the register at a coffee shop, having customers that use reusable cups make a mark on the board, and then giving a free coffee to every 10th customer that uses a reusable.

While many of the awarded ideas focus on reusable cups, unless Starbucks stops offering drinks in disposable cups, it will need other recyclable or compostable solutions to reach its goal for 2015.