CopoMais strengthens collection network in Lisbon’s historic city center
Two new CopoMais return stations have been installed in Lisbon, one in Principe Real and one in Miradouro S. Pedro.
Experience the summer with CopoMais
Summer in Lisbon means people hit the streets to enjoy food, drinks and culture. But this year, residents and visitors to the Bairro Alto district in Lisbon can quench their thirst with a new twist: CopoMais. CopoMais is Lisbon’s new reusable cup system, now being rolled out in Barrio Alto. This new system is designed to address the plastic packaging waste challenges of the Portuguese capital’s historic center.
Single-use plastic cups have been banned in Lisbon since 2024. Reusable plastic cups have to be part of a system refunding the deposits paid by consumers. So far, these rules have been difficult to enforce as no reliable system has been available. With CopoMais, this changes completely.
CopoMais cups are available in four sizes - 28 cl, 40 cl, 50 cl and 90 cl - all carrying a deposit value of €0.50. When purchasing a drink from a bar offering CopoMais cups, consumers pay a deposit to the bar that can be reclaimed when returning the cup in a CopoMais return machine. These machines are conveniently located across Bairro Alto, and the collection network is expanding as we speak.
Deposits are refunded directly to the payment card or mobile wallet tapped on the return machine when starting the return process. This means that CopoMais cups have value for everyone - regardless if you have paid for the cup yourself or found it on the street.
When fully implemented, the CopoMais network will consist of more than 20 return machines across Lisbon’s historic center. Entering the summer of 2026, a core network covering all of Bairro Alto will become available. Each of the CopoMais cups is marked with a unique serialized QR code. Once a cup is returned into a machine, it no longer holds any deposit value. This ensures that the system is robust against fraud and theft, and provides traceability of the cup's lifecycle.
Click here to see all the return machines currently operational as well as participating retail locations.
Lisbon launches citywide reusable cup system “CopoMais,” starting in Bairro Alto
Lisbon launched its new city-wide reusable cup system, “CopoMais Lisboa.” The brand name “CopoMais” indicates that it is more than just a cup – it’s a part of system that enables circularity and makes reuse convenient, efficient and traceable. It is also a system that gives the user back the deposit paid when buying a beverage in one of the participating bars.