TNY
Steph Wellner
Maximilian Kröner
Daan Van Meerten
Mission
To make reusable cup returns effortless and rewarding, reducing waste and promoting sustainability through smart technology.
The challenge
Current reusable cup systems are inconvenient because users must remember to bring, clean, and return their cups. Forgetting a cup often results in purchasing another, reducing the environmental benefits of reuse. Existing token-based return systems are also cumbersome.
The solution
A smart deposit-return system where users pay a small deposit (e.g., €1) when purchasing a drink in a reusable cup. Once finished, they can dispose of the cup in a designated smart bin, which scans the cup’s unique ID and refunds the deposit. This eliminates the hassle of carrying and washing cups while ensuring sustainability.