NEWS | Industry Updates Change brewing in Bude as local businesses unite to tackle single-use waste


Two Cornish businesses have joined forces to launch Cup Club Bude, a community-led scheme set to make Bude the first town in Cornwall to go single-use cup free. The Circular Mindset CIC has partnered with Circular&Co., the Perranporth-based pioneers in circular product design, to introduce an innovative reusable cup system across Bude’s cafés and coffee shops.


Customers are invited to borrow a


Circular&Co. cup for a £1 deposit, enjoy their takeaway drink and return the cup to any participating location to reclaim their deposit or swap for a fresh one. The scheme, which has launched at


Crooklets Beach Café, is designed to eliminate single-use culture, significantly reduce waste across the town and empower customers to make a positive impact on Bude’s natural environment. The UK consumes an estimated 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups each year, with less than one per cent being recycled. Cup Club Bude offers a scalable, hassle-free


alternative that benefits local businesses, residents and the environment alike. Lauren Plummer, co-founder of The


Circular Mindset CIC along with Millie Smith-Heaven, said: “As a newly formed community interest company here in Bude, we’re proud that our first project – Cup Club Bude – makes our town the first in Cornwall to run a returnable cup scheme. “Partnering with Circular&Co., a Cornish business leading the way in reuse, feels like the perfect match. As a coastal community, we see first-hand the impact of single-use waste, so it means a lot to be working together to tackle it and show what’s possible when Cornwall leads the change. We’re immensely grateful for Circular&Co.’s generous support and partnership, which has made this pilot possible.” Cup Club Bude brings various benefits to local businesses. By adopting a returnable cup system, cafés and coffee shops can reduce the ongoing costs and storage demands associated with single-use cups. It also positions participating venues


ahead of changing regulations around single-use plastics, helping them to future- proof their operations while aligning with broader sustainability goals. Dan Dicker, founder of Circular&Co.,


said: “It’s a real privilege to be supporting such an exciting initiative right here in Cornwall. We’re on a mission to make single-use culture a thing of the past, so seeing Cup Club Bude come to life is extremely rewarding. “Our partnership with The Circular Mindset CIC is a perfect example of how local collaboration can drive meaningful change. Thanks to this, Bude is setting a precedent for other towns in Cornwall and beyond. We hope the scheme inspires more communities to rethink their single-use habits and embrace circular solutions that benefit both people and the planet.” The Circular Mindset CIC scheme is


currently crowdfunding to expand to more cafés, increase the number of reusable cups and create collection points and signage throughout Bude.


Shire Leasing secures third consecutive contract with Cover Group


Shire Leasing has successfully renewed its two-year contract with Cover Group, following a competitive tender process. The partnership enables Cover Group members to offer


flexible finance solutions to their customers, helping UK businesses access commercial vending machines, coffee machines, water coolers, and other equipment affordably. Dan MacKrell, joint head of vendor at Shire


Leasing, commented: “I’m proud to continue our long-standing relationship with Cover Group. Many of these partnerships span over two decades, and I believe our continued success is rooted in our commitment to service


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and efficiency. We’re excited to keep evolving alongside the industry and supporting members with tailored finance solutions.” This renewed partnership reflects


Shire’s ongoing commitment to delivering tailored finance solutions that support UK businesses and strengthen long-standing industry relationships. Trading since 1990, Shire Leasing


(Shire) provide business finance solutions,


specialising in asset finance and leasing, enabling UK SMEs to access commercial equipment and solutions to support affordable growth. As a Top 50 UK Asset Finance company with an Own Book exceeding £240m, Shire Leasing are recognised as award winners of Leasing World’s ‘Top Independent Asset Finance Provider’ (2025) and ‘Top Vendor Leasing Specialist’ (2024, 2025).


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