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Are reusable plastic cups food safe? What UK food contact rules and the BPA debate mean for a cup
A cup that touches a drink is a food contact material. The rule that governs it, what a declaration of compliance is, and what BPA-free means when the EU has banned BPA and Great Britain has not yet.
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Pint, half pint, two-thirds: what UK cup sizes hold, and where the law sets them
A UK pint is 568.26 millilitres by statute, and draught beer may only be sold in a third, half, two-thirds or multiples of half a pint. What that means when you choose a cup size.
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Are the cups you hand out packaging? What EPR means for events
GOV.UK names a coffee cup in its definition of packaging. The thresholds, deadlines and per-tonne fees that put EPR into your cup budget.
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Compostable, biodegradable, eco-friendly: what you can print on a cup
The CMA picked a cup to illustrate a misleading green claim. What you can print, what needs a condition next to it, and which law now applies.
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Deposit schemes for reusable cups: what real venues report
Deposit, free borrow or app: how UK venues run cup return, and the return rates published Scottish schemes actually report.
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Pint to line or pint to brim: the markings a cup needs to serve beer
Serve a measured pint and the cup becomes a measuring instrument. The markings it needs, the legal capacities, and why the crown means nothing now.
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What the UK single-use plastic rules ban, and what they leave alone
Great Britain bans polystyrene cups, not plastic cups. What the three nations actually prohibit, and the Welsh review clause worth watching.
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What direction should the promotional artwork for your festival take?
Photographic, illustrative or abstract: the three directions festival artwork takes, what each one demands of you, and how the choice carries onto your cups.
Read MoreHave you got the branding and marketing of your festival right?
Branding is not the poster. It is signage, uniforms, stages and the cup in every hand for six hours, then a keepsake on a shelf long after the site clears.
Read More5 things not to overlook when organising a festival
Drinkware, green credentials, consistent branding, atmosphere and souvenirs: the five details that get left until last and shape how the weekend feels.
Read MoreHave you started organising your spring-summer festival yet?
Summer festivals are won in winter. What to lock in first, and why printed drinkware lead times set the pace for the rest of your production schedule.
Read MoreHow to organise the perfect village fair in 2020
Stalls, volunteers, drinkware and a return point that works: the practical decisions behind a village fair that runs smoothly on the day.
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Could wedding cups be the perfect final touch for your nuptials?
Printed cups for outdoor receptions and garden parties, doubling as the keepsake guests take home. Design, quantities and how early to order.
Read More3 ways to make your next event or festival more sustainable
Reusable drinkware, a working deposit return and choices that keep cups in circulation. Three changes that cut event waste without cutting the experience.
Read MoreBranded cups can bring advantages that you might not have considered
Offices, trade shows, corporate hospitality and retail counters. Where branded cups earn their keep once you stop thinking of them as festival kit.
Read MoreSelling drinks at a Scottish fete, wedding or festival: the occasional licence, its 14 days and its limits, and what they mean for your cups
A fete, wedding or festival bar in Scotland on premises with no premises licence can run on an occasional licence. Who can apply, what the Act caps, how a Licensing Board decides, and where cups come in.
Read MoreStaff Christmas party and the annual function exemption: what counts towards the limit, and where the cups fit
An annual staff party open to all employees can be exempt from income tax if the cost per head stays within the limit in section 264 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003. What counts as an annual function, what goes into the cost per head, and how drinks and cups sit in it.
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Branded cups as staff Christmas gifts: when the trivial benefits exemption applies
A branded cup given to every member of staff at Christmas may fall within the trivial benefits exemption from income tax. What sections 323A and 323B of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 and HMRC's page say, including the 50 pound limit, the exclusions and the rule for directors of close companies.
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Printed cups that arrive wrong: what the Sale of Goods Act 1979 says to a business buyer about description, quality and samples
When a business buys a run of printed cups and the delivery is not what was ordered, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 sets implied terms on description, quality and samples, and rules on acceptance and rejection. What the sections say, who they leave out, and how a sample cup fits in.
Read MoreCan a customer cancel an order for personalised cups? The 14-day right and its exception for personalised goods
A consumer who buys at a distance can usually cancel within 14 days, but the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 exclude goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised. What the regulations say, who counts as a consumer, and what it means for printed cups.
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Drinking in the street at a winter event: what public spaces protection orders say about alcohol in England and Wales
A council in England or Wales can make a public spaces protection order that bans drinking alcohol in a public place. What the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 says about those orders, the premises they do not apply to, and what it means for a street market serving drinks.
Read MoreSelling hot drinks from a Christmas market stall: registering as a food business, and the 28 days
A stall that sells hot drinks at a winter market is a food business, and the Food Standards Agency says to register with the local authority at least 28 days before trading. What its guidance says about stalls, timing, hygiene facilities and where it applies.
Read MoreStreet trading consent for a Christmas market stall: what Schedule 4 to the 1982 Act says in England and Wales
A stall selling drinks on a street may need a street trading licence or consent from the district council. What Schedule 4 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 says about streets, licences, consents, exclusions and offences, and what it leaves to other rules.
Read MorePavement licences for outdoor drinks service in England: what they cover and what they leave to other rules
A pavement licence lets a pub, bar or cafe in England put removable tables and chairs on the public highway outside. What the Business and Planning Act 2020 and the government guidance say it covers, how applications and conditions work, and what it leaves to alcohol licensing and food rules.
Read MoreSponsor logos on event cups: how HMRC treats sponsorship for VAT
Selling print space on event cups to a sponsor is one way to fund a run. HMRC's notice on sponsorship says a sponsor who gets something in return can mean a taxable supply by the organiser. What the notice lists, how benefits in kind are valued, and what to settle before the artwork is approved.
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Serving hot drinks after 11pm at an event: when late night refreshment is a licensable activity
Coffee, tea and hot chocolate served to the public between 11pm and 5am can count as late night refreshment in England and Wales, a licensable activity of its own. What counts as hot, the exemptions that matter for events, and how a Temporary Event Notice fits.
Read MoreAllergen information for drinks poured into cups at a bar or event in England
The FSA's allergen guidance covers drink as well as food, and a drink poured into a cup at a bar has no label. What the Food Standards Agency says businesses must tell customers, the ways of doing it, and the questions a free drinks table at a corporate event raises.
Read MorePlastic straws and stirrers at an event bar in England: what the 2020 Regulations allow
A drink at an event bar can arrive with a straw or a stirrer, and both are covered by their own rules in England. What the 2020 Regulations ban, the exemption for catering establishments, what counts as reusable, and how councils enforce them.
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Promotional cups for corporate events: choosing the format, the print and the checks before you order
Pint and half pint cups, a lidded coffee cup or printed paper cups: which format suits which corporate setting, what the print options are, and the questions that come with a promotional cup order.
Read MoreReusable coffee cups made of bamboo and plastic: what the FSA and Food Standards Scotland say
The FSA's blog names reusable coffee cups among the products made from bamboo and plastic. Food regulators in Great Britain have a specific position on plastic mixed with plant material. What they said, what the plastics regulation adds, and the questions to ask a supplier.
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Is the ink on a printed cup regulated? What UK food contact law says about printing on a drinking cup
The national food contact regulations of 2012 include provisions for printing inks, according to the Food Standards Agency, and the good manufacturing practice regulation has a rule for ink on the non-food-contact side of a material or article. What it says, how it reads for a cup, and what to ask a supplier.
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Printing a logo on a cup: the permission you need, the registered symbol and the artwork checklist
The logos, illustrations and photographs on a cup can belong to someone else. What copyright and trade mark law say about printing them, when the registered symbol may be used, and what the design tips cover.
Read MorePromotional cups and product safety: who counts as the producer when your logo is on the cup
A free promotional cup is still a product in law if it is likely to be used by consumers. Who counts as its producer, what a producer has to do, and the question the rules leave open when the only mark on the cup is your logo.
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Are promotional cups a deductible business gift? What HMRC's gift rules and its VAT limit say
A printed cup handed to a client can be a deductible business gift if it carries a conspicuous advertisement and stays within the per-person limit set by the tax Acts. VAT has a limit of its own, counted in a different way.
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Are cup deposits subject to VAT? What HMRC says about returnable containers and refundable deposits
HMRC asks why a charge on a returnable container was raised. Security for its return can sit outside VAT; payment for its hire or use does not. What the guidance says, and what it does not say about a cup the customer keeps.
Read MoreWedding, fair or party bar on a Temporary Event Notice: the dates, the limits and what changes for your cups
A one-day bar at a wedding, village fair or party in England and Wales can run on a Temporary Event Notice. The notice period, the limits, which licence conditions come with it and what that means for the cup order.
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Free drinking water and the cup it comes in: what licensed bars and employers have to provide
This article covers two rules that ask for drinking water, and only one names cups. Licensed bars in England and Wales must give customers free water on request where it is reasonably available; workplaces in Great Britain must have drinking water for the people at work there and, unless the water is in a jet people can drink from easily, cups or other drinking vessels, subject to the exceptions in regulation 3.
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Do bars have to offer half pints? The small measures licence condition and what it means for your cups
Every licence that allows drinking on the premises in England and Wales carries a small measures condition: a half pint of beer, 25 or 35 ml of spirits, 125 ml of wine. What it says, who it binds and where it stops.
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Workplace recycling rules in England: what a venue has to separate
Since 31 March 2025 every workplace in England has had to separate dry recyclables and food waste, including waste left by customers and visitors. What that means at a bar.
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When a premises licence can require plastic drinkware, and when it should not
The Home Office guidance of February 2026 says conditions should not impose polycarbonate drinking vessels as a general area policy. What that means for a venue.
Read MoreWales paused its next single-use plastic bans: where cups stand now
A Welsh Government statement of 11 February 2026 says the remaining Phase 2 bans will not be enacted this Senedd term. What that leaves in force for cups, and what is still coming.
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Whose waste is it? The duty of care that follows a cup off your site
Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 binds anyone who produces, keeps or has control of controlled waste. An event bar is squarely inside it.
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Plastic Packaging Tax and cups: which ones are taxed, and which sit outside it
HMRC's published examples put disposable cups in scope of Plastic Packaging Tax and reusable coffee cups out of it. What that distinction rests on, and who actually pays.
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Scotland's 25p single-use cup charge: where it stands, and which events would be exempt
Scotland decided in 2022 to charge for single-use cups, consulted on 25p in 2024, and said regulations would be made by the end of 2025. As of 1 September 2026 we could find none. What was proposed, who would be exempt, and what a venue can do now.
Read MoreWhy stadiums, arenas and festival bars serve pints in plastic: the licensing conditions behind the cup
The plastic pint is not a cost-saving. It is what a premises licence condition asks for where glass could be thrown, dropped or used as a weapon. The Home Office model conditions, and what they mean for the cup you order.
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Are polypropylene cups recyclable in the UK? What WRAP and the new household collection rules say
Polypropylene sits among the materials WRAP lists for recyclable pots, tubs and trays, with two caveats about colour and labels. From 31 March 2026 every English council has to collect rigid plastics from households. What that means for a reusable cup at the end of its life.
Read MoreWashing reusable cups between events: what UK food hygiene guidance asks of a wash-up
A reusable cup is only reusable if the wash-up is right. The two-stage clean the Food Standards Agency describes, why it prefers a dishwasher, and what that means for a festival with 20,000 cups to turn around.
Read MoreHire reusable cups or buy them? How UK venues and festivals decide
Owning cups suits a brand that runs the same events every year. Hiring suits a venue that wants the washing, storage and collection handled. The published schemes, and the questions that decide it.
Read MoreReady to Order Custom Cups?
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