Since the end of July, 12 bars have been offering a reusable glass that can be carried by customers from one establishment to another in the 19th arrondissement. Useful for limiting waste, the project also responds to the neighborhood’s consumption patterns.
The expression “to have a drink” takes on its full meaning here. Twelve bars in the 19th arrondissement of Paris have established a partnership to distribute a unique reusable glass to customers.
In fact, consumers go to an establishment, order, and can be served in a reusable cup, such as an “ecocup”, which they can keep and fill in another bar in the neighborhood among the project partners.
At the end of the evening, simply show up at a bar and return the drink. A deposit of one euro is then returned.
An economical service adapted to the neighborhood
This device adapts to the consumption patterns of people circulating around the La Villette basin, particularly those who frequent the “Ourcq” bar.
“We are on the banks of the Ourcq canal where there is a giant pétanque pitch, so people come to eat and take away to go and play pétanque,” Côme, the site’s operations manager, told BFM Paris-Île-de-France.
The latter also notes the influence of the beauty of the neighborhood. “It’s a nice place in Paris, because you have a clear view, there’s water, it’s green… So people definitely want to walk around and go around the canal,” he says.
The manager also notes that this method of service prevents these glasses from ending up in the trash, and creating more waste.
A test phase completed in September 2025
In total, 27,300 cups were made available free of charge in the twelve partner bars.
This system is the result of a call for projects launched by Paris City Hall entitled “Paris is getting excited about reuse in events”.
The cups were financed by the city, but the project was imagined by the company Villette Emploi Service in partnership with the Canal 19 association, which brings together bars around the La Villette basin.
These cups have been available in partner establishments since the beginning of July. They will remain so until September 30, 2025, when their test phase will end.
Yeliz Kirazli with Mélanie Hennebique
