Protecting our planet, one cup at a time!

With the health concerns and uncertainties around the way COVID-19 spreads, a massive increase in plastic pollution has been seen since lockdown was first lifted and cafes and restaurants reopened. Moreover, it has been shown that, with the correct measures, reusable cups are completely COVID safe, here is how.

Sadly, we use an estimated 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups and over 7.7 billion plastic water bottles a year in the UK alone! The production of disposable coffee cups is responsible for the cutting of a million trees a year and uses around 1.5 billion litres of water, stripping our planet of precious natural resources at a time when we should be protecting it.

We know all this seems hopeless and overwhelming, but here there are ways for you to help.

  • Next time you go to a cafe, ask them to refill your cup or bottle
  • If they choose not do it, post on social media about it under the #BringYourReusables (and other plastic waste free hashtags)
  • After that, send them an email from this template. If they use your reusable cup or bottle but you see that customers inside the shop are given take-away cups, there is also an email for that here
  • As you can see in the emails, we put together a poster for cafes to put in their fronts so other customers know that they can safely use their cups. If you have the means, try to bring a printed copy for next time and talk to them about putting the poster up. If you are a cafe owner/staff member please join us in making cafes less wasteful.

Learn more about the impact of disposable coffee cups here