Single-use plastics and their pollution of our seas is a huge problem.
Up to 12m tonnes of plastic finds its way into our oceans every year, including over 70m plastic straws. We are committed to reducing the amount we use.
For the RSC Shop, we no longer purchase plastic items but instead focus on products that are made from re-useable materials like wood, paper and metal. All RSC greeting cards, A4 prints and pencils are stocked without plastic wrapping and don’t arrive from the supplier in plastic.
PAPER STRAWS AND SUSTAINABLE STIRRERS
Plastic straws can take more than 200 years to break down and are one of the top 10 items found in beach clean-ups. We serve over 165,000 cold drinks every year in our bars, cafes and restaurant, and we stopped using plastic straws in November 2017, replacing them with paper.
Each of the cocktails we serve in our Rooftop Restaurant needs a stirrer for mixing, which used to be made from black plastic but are now stainless steel. These are reused rather than thrown away after just one drink.
CUPS AND BOTTLES
To serve our visitors cold drinks and tap water, we order over 300,000 cups every year. We've switched to cups made from plant-based material. These are light, strong and perfect for cold drinks.
Our cafes sell over 15 different types of bottled soft drinks. We streamlined our range, replacing plastic bottles with glass, and became plastic bottle free in our bars and restaurants in summer 2018. We also provide free water at all our food and drink outlets.
We sell reusable cups and welcome visitors bringing their reusable cups to our bars and cafes. If you buy a reusable cup from us you get a free hot drink. If you bring a reusable cup to one of our cafes and bars, there's a 20p discount on your hot drink.
We have also signed up to the Refill campaign, so people can refill their bottles at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.