Cup Half Full: Reducing Single-Use Plastic at Kings Theatre with Cup Zero
An amazing night out in the live entertainment space includes great performances, merch to take home and refreshing drinks and snacks to elevate the experience. For many patrons, the drink is an afterthought but for Stacy Canote, Food and Beverage Director at Kings Theatre, a 3000+ capacity venue in Brooklyn under the ATG Entertainment portfolio, there’s much more to it.
After witnessing a mountain of plastic water bottles scattered on the floor after a show, Canote began to question the environmental cost of concert venues’ standard F&B operations. She knew that venues had a responsibility to be part of the sustainability conversation.
“Our industry contributes to the planet’s carbon footprint. At what point are we responsible? There’s no reason we can’t be a part of a more sustainable solution.”
Driven by this belief, in 2023 Canote launched the partnership with Cup Zero at Kings. Cup Zero is a sustainability triple-threat: cost-saving, revenue generating and environmentally impactful.
In just two and a half years since launching at Kings, the Cup Zero program has prevented more than 175,000 cups from entering landfills and oceans. By eliminating the need for single-use disposables, the program has also delivered meaningful cost savings while significantly shrinking the venue’s waste footprint. When scaled across venues nationwide, this model has the potential to drive substantial reductions in single-use plastic across the live entertainment industry.
A Brief History of Cup Zero:
Cup Zero began in 2019 by Zsolt Bendel and Michael Cyr with the simple idea of reducing single-use waste at events. After noticing how prolific reusable cups were in Europe, Bendel and team got to work on bringing the practice stateside. Since its launch, Cup Zero has partnered with a variety of institutions from indoor and outdoor concert venues, Broadway theaters, festivals and more with a wide range of patron capacities.
“Events are about experiences—and people want to feel good about those experiences. Sustainability is part of that now. When you show guests and sponsors that you’re reducing waste in a visible way, it adds value to the whole event,” commented Bendel.
Switching to Reusable Cups:
As with any operational change, there can be initial skepticism from both patrons and staff, often centered on what “reusable” truly means. Unlike recycling, which breaks materials down to create new products, Cup Zero focuses on reuse. A properly cared-for Cup Zero cup can last up to 300 uses.
One of the most common concerns is sanitation. Cup Zero utilizes industrial dish washing machines and a quality assurance team to ensure the utmost hygienic and fault-free results. Cleaning methods are rigorous, with even tough-to-remove materials like lipstick being combatted with a special formula.
Patron concerns regarding reuse and hygiene can easily be reframed by comparing the program to a restaurant: customers use washed and reused plates, cups, utensils and napkins with no hesitation. Reusable cups follow the same trusted logic.
Implementing Cup Zero:
As a run of shows comes up, operators like Canote place an order based on expected attendance and drink volume. Cup Zero delivers the cups, bars are stocked, and signage is installed throughout the venue to guide patrons on how and where to return their cups. Patrons simply purchase a beverage, drink up, and return cups to collection bins located throughout the venue.
Following each event, the facilities team begins cleanup, collecting cups from aisles and seating areas and placing them into designated bins —a simple step integrated in the process— to avoid confusion with trash or recycling. Cup Zero then collects the cups, commercially washes them, and prepares them for the next show.
For venues looking to get started, Cup Zero prides themselves on being true partners – working closely with venue teams to understand their operations and ensure a smooth rollout. Cup Zero has a partnership with Sure We Can, a NYC-based nonprofit redemption center with canners getting paid for their efforts, for venues that would like assistance with cup sorting and recovery. Sure We Can provides dedicated staffing to sort leftover cups, bottles and cans at the end of the night.
While Canote initially had concerns about inventory and maintenance, the program quickly proved its reliability. Today, Cup Zero is a seamless part of Kings Theatre’s operations—demonstrating that sustainable change doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.