Plastic Waste – How NAC are thinking outside the cup

Be part of the solution – How NAC are kicking the plastic waste and how you can help

We may be one of the furthest cities away from the sea, but NAC is playing its part in reducing single use plastics from the 8 million tons that end up in the ocean every year.

With our summer programme and festivals on the horizon, NAC has a brand new cup deposit system in place ready to play it’s part in reducing our waste. Some of you who have attended recent events in the theatre, may have already seen the new system which so far, has received positive feedback from our audiences.

Thinking outside the cup

We wanted to go one step further and make some really special designs and collector editions and therefore have enlisted the help of our resident artists. Each design will be unique so don’t hang around, as there will only be one print run of these special collector editions.

The first cup will be designed by tattoo artist Hollie Smith of Gravedust and Glitter. The new half pint and pint cups come complete with a nautical theme, with a classic divers helmet for half pints, and NAC kraken for the full pint version.  Plus, if you like Hollies work, follow the link to her residents page to find out more.

Pint of principle

NAC’s new cup deposit system means you pay £2 for a cup on your first drink which you can re-use or grab a clean one to use for the event. Then simply return it at the end of the night and get your money returned to you. Or, if you wish, you can take home a memento of the event. Since the introduction of this system, The Moonshine bar located inside NAC’s theatre has stopped well over 3,000 pieces of plastic waste from being thrown away.

Bar manager Chris Meddings, who implemented the system earlier this year, said “We are super proud to be able to provide sustainable drinksware for our events and I am delighted to get the help from some of our resident artists and showcase some of their fantastic design work”

This also comes at a very significant time in NAC’s calendar as we soon welcome our outdoor summer programme. Audiences will be able to enjoy music and family theatre festivals on the New Horizons Stage once again. The New Horizons Stage was first introduced in 2021 as a response to COVID and providing a safe and comfortable outdoor covered venue to present NAC’s programme of events. For more information on just some of the events we have coming in 2022, click the link below.