Week #21 Stay For A Coffee (Or Bring Your Own Cup)

As times have changed and life became so fast, we do everything on the go, and coffee is not an exception. Getting a take-away coffee became a new normal.

But did you know that just 1 in 400 disposable coffee cups are recycled?

What if instead of running away with your coffee in a takeaway cup to the next stop you would stay for a cup of coffee and enjoyed the moment? Or if you can't help it, you should bring your own cup.

Worldwide it is estimated that 500 billion disposable cups are discarded to landfill each year.

That is equal to one million cups every minute. And that is just thinking about coffee cups. If we take into consideration the number of plastic cups we use for water at offices, kids parties, Styrofoam cups and other single-use plastics, there is a lot heading to landfill that has become part of everyday life.

And what about the material that the cup is made of? That drinking especially hot drinks might not be ideal for your health?

Paper: Paper disposable cups are lined with polyethene, which not only makes it hard to recycle but can also make your drink toxic as well. The glue holding paper cups together can dissolve into the hot coffee. Plus, over 20 million trees are cut down each year to make paper cups.

Plastic lids: The plastic lids that fit on top of paper and plastic cups contain active carcinogens, and are very hard to recycle. 

Styrofoam: Styrofoam is a terrible material to add to the environment. It can last in landfills for over 500 years since it does not degrade over time. It’s harmful to the planet, not to mention the liquid from polystyrene (which often leaks into coffee drinks) is carcinogenic.

So next time, when you are thinking of having takeaway coffee take into consideration all the information mentioned above and rather stay in for a coffee. It won't take much of your time and you can take it as a nice break.