Savannah business association ideates redesigning aluminum cups into sustainable souvenirs

Savannah’s pilot aluminum cup program has come up with yet another idea of reutilizing the cups. The idea is to redesign aluminum cups into sustainable souvenirs.

Nick Pulambo, Savannah City Council and the 4th District Alderman for the city of Savannah, said Downtown Business Association picked up the idea and commissioned Dana Richardson, a local artist, to transform the cups designs.

Savannah initiated the pilot aluminum cup program to cut down on waste from single-use cups by offering an alternate usage idea. Cups that are recycled in Savannah are broken down at a facility in Rome where they use the recycled materials to create new cups for Savannah’s program.

For the new program, Dana Richardson said, "I’m really excited to see people carrying them around and I hope that when people look down at their cup it reminds them to look up at how beautiful our city is and to keep it that way.”

Dana Phillips, president of The Downtown Business Association, said that ten businesses have already agreed to participate in the new program. He added, “I’m hoping that a lot more businesses reach out and jump on the sustainability train with us."

Savannah’s pilot aluminum cup program has given a shape to many businesses. Bryan Cornelius, the manager at Homewood Suites, said that his business sells an average of 30 cups each day, and the cups are paying for themselves.