But a university spokeswoman said all food and beverage vendors in the central campus in Dunedin were aware of the requirements to align with the university’s ‘‘sustainability strategic framework’’ before signing leases.
Bubble tea is a Taiwanese cold drink made with tea, sweetened milk and often other flavourings. It is typically served with balls or ‘‘pearls’’ of tapioca.
It is often served in plastic cups sealed with a plastic film, which is punctured with a straw when it is consumed.
Chatime manager Violetta Li said she was aware of the university’s sustainability strategy and supported the initiative, but had not initially known there was a blanket ban on all disposable cups.
Chatime, which also has an outlet in George St, opened at the university in 2021.
When it launched it used papers cups rather than plastic ones in an effort to be sustainable, but then learned the ban was on all single-use drinking vessels.
The company tried reusable cups, but the sizes they needed were different from coffee cups, adding to the cost, and in the first year of their switch to reusable cups their supplier went into liquidation, Miss Li said.
Chatime had offered deals on their reusable cups, and discounts on bubble tea if customers brought a reusable cup, but found so far that without a single-use cup option the university outlet could not sell enough of their product to pay staff or their lease.
‘‘We’re struggling here.
‘‘And the reason why we’re using paper is not because we want to break the rules.
‘‘We don’t want to be the people that’s helping others break the rules either.’’
They now had a stockpile of reusable cups, they feared they would not be able to survive at present without single-use cups, and there seemed to be some inconsistencies in the rules.
For example, miso soup was served nearby in paper cups and there were other disposable food containers and plastic packaging that was allowed.
The Otago Daily Times asked if the university would consider a review of their ban on single-use cups and the spokeswoman provided an answer the university previously provided to student magazine Critic Te Ārohi.
‘‘The university has been in discussions with Chatime since before a lease was signed and would prefer to continue to liaise directly with them on this issue,’’ she said.
The university had been disposable cup-free since January 2020. Chatime opened in late 2021, the spokeswoman said.
‘‘And, yes, all food and beverage vendors on central campus are aware of the requirements to align with the sustainability strategic framework prior to signing leases.’’
The university did not have a policy about single-use takeaway food containers on campus, but did strive to be as sustainable as possible as an organisation, she said.
