The end of takeaway coffee cups?
We’re about half way through Plastic Free July. This is the third of four articles by the SEE-Change WasteLess group, focused on different ways of reducing single use plastic in our lives.
One key area in which we can reduce single use plastics is not using plastic takeaway coffee cups.
Australians sure love coffee! If we lined up all the takeaway coffee cups we used in Australia each year, it would stretch around our Earth twice! Around 2.6 billion coffee cups end up in landfills each year. It’s important to note that most takeaway coffee cups can’t be recycled in most places as they’re made with a plastic lining. While ACT does accept coffee cups in the recycling bin, we’ve recently been reminded through watching The Story of Plastic, that recycling is not the solution to plastic pollution.
Here are some ways to reduce your use of takeaway cups:
Invest in a coffee machine that will produce fantastic coffee at home or work. This allows you to taste and select from the great coffee beans available from around the world. It may take a little longer to prepare your daily boost but you will have improved your skills as a barista!
If making your own sounds like too much work, you could encourage your coffee provider to take advantage of the Green Caffeen scheme. You can get a reusable coffee cup for free from a participating café, by registering with the app on your phone. You only pay if you don’t return the cup to a participating café within 30 days.
Another option is to carry your own reusable cup. For example, KeepCup produces a wide variety of such cups, and there are lots of other options. The good news is that there are plenty of cafes that now offer discounts on your morning brew if you bring in your own reusable cup. The Responsible Cafés website lists cafes that provide a discount if you bring your own cup.
While some cafes temporarily stopped accepting reusable cups during the height of the pandemic, the evidence is now clear that a single-use cup is a poor substitute for a reusable cup that is properly cleaned by its owner. Sanjaya Senanayake, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Australian National University has confirmed that there’s no proven benefit to disposable cups instead of reusables. Single use cups can harbor viruses and bacteria. Just make sure that the reusable cup is washed and cleaned before taking it in for your favourite coffee.
If your café is not currently allowing reusable cups, have a chat to them about the risks associated with single use disposable cups and the advantages of reusable cups.
Imagine the impact we could make if everyone carried a reusable cup instead of a single use coffee cup.
WasteLess, July 2020