Most coffee cups aren’t recycled. By bringing your own reusable coffee cup, or taking the time to dine-in at your favourite café, you can make a huge difference.
What you can do
Choose to refuse single-use takeaway cups
How can you do it
You can easily avoid takeaway coffee cups by bringing along your own reusable alternative. There are many reusable coffee cups available on the market. Keep it in your bag or on your desk at work; wherever you’ll remember to use it.
Many people choose socially and environmentally-friendly reusables made of ceramic, glass, plastic or stainless steel.
You don’t even need to purchase a special cup. You can bring a mug or jar from home – just be conscious of using items that can heat up or don’t travel well if you’re going far.
If you forget your reusable alternative and don’t have time to dine-in, consider going without. It might not be easy, but will probably mean you never forget again!
Taking the next steps
Spread the word about reusable coffee cups with your friends, family members and colleagues, especially if you go out for coffee runs with them.
You can also encourage and support cafes to become a part of the Responsible Cafe network.
The impact
- Coffee cups are not recyclable in most locations. Even ‘compostable’ cups are rarely composted as they require very specific facilities and conditions
- Bringing your own cup shows others how easy it is to reduce their waste and creates a new trend
