Sunshine Social
Serious about coffee, and about what happens to the cup
Sunshine Social is a specialty coffee roaster and café on the Sunshine Coast. Coffee is roasted on site at the Sunshine Beach roastery and café, and served alongside it at their second venue in Cotton Tree, Maroochydore. Both are community hubs, drawing locals and visitors who take their coffee, and their food, seriously.
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That care extends well beyond the cup. Sunshine Social sources through importers who are empowering smallholder farmers to improve their socioeconomic livelihoods and grow more climate-resilient coffee for the future.
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"Sustainability is core to everything we do. It's in our blood and we see it as the only way to do business. Put simply, we want future generations to be able to enjoy coffee as much as we do."
Image: Sunshine Social's roasted coffee
Tackling contamination at the bin
One of the biggest waste challenges at Sunshine Social is contamination in the recycling stream, particularly from milk bottles, alongside a general lack of knowledge about what can and can't be recycled.
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The team has responded with clearly labelled general waste and recycling bins accessible to customers, and additional signage directing takeaway coffee cups to the Simply Cups collection units. Most customers are unaware that single-use coffee cups cannot go into standard kerbside recycling, because of the plastic lining that keeps the drink in the cup.
22,313+
paper cups collected for recycling
*accurate as of 27th July 2026
Image: Council Council Victoria team member recycling a paper cup in their office.
Giving paper cups a second life, one climb at a time
As a cup of coffee becomes part of your daily routine, so does recycling paper cups with Simply Cups at BridgeClimb Sydney.
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BridgeClimb are always looking for practical ways to reduce their environmental impact, so they recognised paper cup recycling as a simple but effective step to help minimise their contribution to landfill in both their office and customer areas. Since partnering with Simply Cups, their collection units need to be emptied daily due to all their team members and visitors embracing paper cup recycling.
A self-driven solution for coffee grounds
Organic waste presents a second challenge, and one with no easy answer. There is currently no dedicated collection service available to help cafés manage spent coffee grounds.
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Rather than send them to landfill, Sunshine Social built its own solution. The team transports grounds in their own vehicle, delivering them regularly to local community gardens and the council waste facility, where they are used as compost. Over the past twelve months, this entirely self-driven initiative has diverted more than ten tonnes of coffee grounds from landfill.
Why Sunshine Social chose Simply Cups
"We chose to participate in the Simply Cups recycling program because it aligns closely with our values and demonstrates our commitment to sustainability to both our customers and the wider community. The program is simple and easy to use within a busy café environment, making it a practical solution for diverting waste from landfill.
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What we value most is that the cups are not just recycled, but are transformed into new and reusable materials, giving them a second life and contributing to a more circular economy."
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Customers and the team have responded positively, and the collection units have opened up conversations about waste and recycling in the venues. Ongoing customer education remains a focus, particularly in raising awareness of what happens to collected cups and why takeaway cups can't be recycled at home.
"Our customers and our team have responded very positively to the Simply Cups program, and many appreciate having a sustainable alternative for disposing of their takeaway coffee cups. The initiative has also created valuable opportunities for conversations about waste and recycling within our café."
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Sunny Oliver-Bennetts – Community & Partnerships, Sunshine Social
Giving paper cups a second life, one climb at a time
Reusables first
Simply Cups is the safety net, not the first option. Sunshine Social actively encourages customers to choose reusable cups wherever possible, stocking local brands Pottery for the Planet and Pargo in store, with a free coffee for anyone who buys one.
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Both the Sunshine Beach and Cotton Tree venues also run the GoodCup reusable cup system, so customers can avoid a single-use cup without owning one themselves. The team promotes the Simply Cups program on social media with explainers and links to the program.
Further sustainability efforts
Sustainability is integrated throughout the business. Other initiatives Sunshine Social engages with include:
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Sourcing coffee through import partners who support smallholder farmers and climate-resilient coffee production.
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Giving away bean sacks to locals for use in gardens and worm farms.
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Partnering with the local community garden at Cotton Tree for produce and honey, and supplying the garden with coffee grounds.
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Partnering with Youturn, a not-for-profit supporting young people including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, to offer free barista training and give clients a hand up early in their careers.
"We're always looking for ways to improve our environmental footprint. Whether that's reducing waste, supporting coffee-growing communities, partnering with organisations like Simply Cups, or investing in our local community, we're committed to making positive, practical changes that create lasting impact. Good coffee makes us happy. And by good, we mean good quality and sustainable for future generations."
Image: Second hand clothing swap in Cancer Council Victoria's office
This page was last updated in July 2026.