We all hear about reusable coffee cups. But a growing idea (when even buying a reusable cup can be difficult for people on a budget – or for people prone to forget) is the returnable coffee cup. The original idea started in New Zealand. Again Again buys stainless steel reusable cups in bulk, then shops loan them out to customers who don’t have one or forget them. Built on trust that the customers will return them – the goodie here is that if the odd cup or two does not come back, the wholesale discounts that the company gets, means they take on the financial loss, rather than the indie coffee shop.
If pregnant/breastfeeding, NHS recommends no more than 1 cup of weak coffee (if any) or 2 cups of weak tea per day to reduce risk of miscarriage and restless babies. Avoid caffeine for children, urinary continence or the jitters!
Conventional coffee cups usually have plastic lids, and even if made from cardboard, most have plastic lining inside, so they can’t be recycled. They then are dropped on the ground and go out to sea, where they break down into microplastics, which harms marine wildlife. The caffeine also can harm wildlife and pets who lick up leftover coffee (many contain sweet liquids like caramel syrup to attract animals, even if they would not naturally drink coffee).
Starbucks has now caught on and happily offering a similar program, where people can put down a small deposit to have a reusable cup, then get the money back, when they return the cup next time. Customers also get 25p discount for doing so.
