In Bulgarian public kindergartens, children drink water from single use plastic cups. As a result, the annual plastic waste equals 240 million cups and would cover half of the Earth’s Equator, if wasted cups were arranged in a line. This is an extreme case of throw-away culture that is being imprinted into children’s perceptions as a norm. From an economic standpoint, the produced waste costs Bulgarian citizens around 3 million €/year.

The “Choose the reusable cup” project started as a local community initiative in a state kindergarten in the town of Varna, Bulgaria. Sabina Maksimova, a mother of two, proposed a solution: a reusable metal cup, engraved with a unique symbol for each child. Later, this community initiative received the support of a local ecology organization – the Public Environmental Center for Sustainable Development. Currently, the project has the ambitious task to reach parent communities across the whole country.

The mission of “Choose the reusable cup” project is to change perceptions and consumption norms, so that caring about the environment and healthy living will be more valued than the few-seconds convenience of the disposable container.