Until, not so long ago did we all assume (or was it just me?) that every time you bought a takeaway coffee, your cup was recyclable? Well, bloody hell people – I am here to tell you – they’re not!! WTAF!!
Coffee cups, are not bloody recyclable!!!
Sweet Jesus – am I the only one who was clueless about this? Paper cups, plastic cups, styrofoam cups, and those not-quite-paper, not-quite-plastic who-knows-what-it-is coffee cups = landfill, landfill, landfill. I’m actually aghast as to how this has actually happened. Surely we now live in a progressive, environmentally aware (and conscious) society… How can we still be so behind on this? Australians churn through 1 BILLION of these little mothers every year! Can you imagine how much space that takes up? And that’s just in Australia!
To keep your morning coffee hit, off of your freshly pressed blouse, disposable coffee cups are lined with a plastic film (polyethylene) that is notoriously difficult to recycle as its almost impossible to successfully strip from the outer layer of cardboard or paper. #thisisinsanity
You may have been fooled (like me and a lot of others out there I imagine) that the lids which have ‘biodegradable’ or ‘compostable’ on them are ok. Err No! It turns out most recycling places don’t actually have the infrastructure to recycle the lids or dispose of them in an environmentally sound way. More Tom Foolery!
Okay, so if that wasn’t a rude slap in the face, check out these horrifying statistics…
- 500 billion disposable coffee cups are produced every year! You'd better learn how to swim people. #drowningincoffeecups
- 1 million disposable cups end up in landfill every minute!! Say whaaaaat?? That number is incomprehensible.
- Almost puts you off your coffee (almost... #westillwantcoffee)!!!
So… none of us are giving up coffee... what now? What can we do?
- Sit down and enjoy your coffee. Not always possible but in an ideal world; we are all less rushed.
- Buy a re-usable coffee cup and bring it with you when you get your take away. Many eco-loving places will actually offer cheaper coffee if you come in with your own cup. #winning
- If you are about to kill someone because you have forgotten your cup and you can’t risk, NOT having your morning coffee - ask for no lid (and pray you don't hit a pothole if you're behind the wheel) better to reduce if you can’t reject.
- Insist your local coffee establishment get biocups, they’re only cups which are recyclable and compostable (in the organics bin).
Re-usable coffee cups are available from our friends at My Nourished Lifestyle. Here is a little info on their SmartCup by frank green. It is a multi-award winning reusable cup that you will actually want to use. Spill-proof, dishwash-able and with no plastic taste, they are the perfect on the go reusable coffee cup.
*The cups in the article images are actually porcelain!