Just weeks after Larne was reported to be the worst spot for litter in Northern Ireland[1], Barista Bar teamed up with local volunteer-led environmental group, the Eco Rangers, to tackle even more rubbish in the area, alongside team members from local store, SPAR Craigyhill.
In total, the teams lifted 20 bags of litter throughout the Craigyhill area, north of the town.
The coffee to go brand, which is available in over 400 SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores in Northern Ireland has been an official partner of the Eco Rangers since 2021, fueling their volunteers with Barista Bar beverages during their litter picks throughout Northern Ireland.
The Eco Rangers, set up by retired paramedic Abe Agnew, are now a 300-strong group of registered volunteers who carry out litter picking across the East Antrim region, removing over 20,000 pieces of litter each week.
Barista Bar is also a partner of WalkNI and is committed to keeping Northern Ireland beautiful and free of litter.
Rachel Martin, Assistant Brand Manager from Henderson Foodservice, which owns Barista Bar, said; “We have committed to a number of town clean ups and litter picks around NI’s areas of outstanding beauty throughout the year, and are delighted to continue our partnership with the Eco Rangers here in East Antrim, and with the help of the team from SPAR Craigyhill.
“Through this partnership and our work with Walk NI, it is our mission to ensure the public can enjoy getting outdoors without rubbish getting in their way. We know single use coffee cups are amongst the top litter sources in Northern Ireland, and while we’re encouraging our customers to dispose of their cups responsibly, we are also urging the use of our reusable cups, helping us all to be more sustainable and responsible.”
Since 2022, Barista Bar has experienced a 12% increase of drinks purchased in reusable cups, which equates to 20,000 drinks purchased each month. There are now almost 100,000 cups in use across Northern Ireland, with 113,000 users registered with Barista Bar’s loyalty scheme, incentivising shoppers to live more sustainably with various rewards available.
Stephen Marshall, Chairman of the Eco Rangers added; “Eco Rangers NI is delighted to partner with local businesses to clean in local areas and raise awareness of the environmental impact of littering. We have been proud to see the difference our work has made to the area in the last few years. The area is cleaner, people can take pride in their area again and it’s even made a difference to the wildlife, especially along the shoreline where we’ve carried out intensive cleans to remove huge volumes of historic litter and debris that was destroying the local habitat and generally creating an eyesore.
“Support from local businesses such as Barista Bar and SPAR NI is invaluable. They are at the heart of local communities and can provide a focus point for positive change and their support for our volunteers who are out litter picking on a daily basis is priceless. This is the latest of a number of group clean ups we’ve carried out together and I’m delighted to say that we will continue this arrangement on an ongoing basis. I hope that other businesses can rise to the challenge in the same way and make a positive difference – our door is always open to help them do that!”
To learn more about the Eco Rangers, to volunteer, or for information on partnerships, visit Eco Rangers NI on Facebook.
WalkNI provides information on the many types of trails and places available to explore across Northern Ireland, along with tips to help walkers stay on the ‘Right Side of Outside’ and explore the outdoors safely.
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