Mugshare has issued a recall on its bamboo mugs after users reported cracking and burning incidents.
The cracking mugs were brought to mugshare’s attention in November 2019. Mugshare Co-founder Melanie Chanona said the program quickly responded by recalling the mugs and has paused operations for the time being.
According to a report from CTV News, Health Canada confirmed that mugshare received one report of a minor burn injury.
The program, which provides alternatives to single-use coffee cups got its start from the student-led initiative Common Energy.
Cafe-goers at partner locations such as Blue Chip Cafe in the Nest could pay a $2 deposit to purchase a mug and return it later in the day to receive their deposit back.
Chanona said the program is still in its “pilot phase,” and explained that these plant-based reusable mugs “are subject to … a lot more wear and tear” than single-use cups. To add to this, existing cracks in the mugshare mugs can be difficult to see making them a minor burn hazard.
On their Instagram page, mugshare posted a photo explaining how the mugs can become burn hazards.
“Due to physical properties of the material, adding hot liquid to the mug can cause the crack to expand and hot water to pour out rapidly. Please be careful whenever you’re making hot drinks to protect your hands!” reads the Instagram post from November 15.
In another Instagram post made on November 29, the program announced they would be halting operations until they could find a more durable mug. Mugshare is asking anyone with one of their bamboo mugs to either return it to a partner location or dispose of it.
“We want to prioritize the safety of [our] users … and go that extra mile to make sure [the mugs] are operating as safely as possible,” said Chanona.
She further explained that mugshare is “working with different suppliers” to guarantee they find a mug that “can stand up to the high impact that a reusable mug requires.”
While the exact timeline for the program relaunch is unknown as of now, Chanona is hoping to bring the program back by spring 2020.