The reality behind the so-called “recyclable coffee cups” is that it’s a packaging that is not biodegradable because of materials no one can see. But no worries! There are solutions available; alternatives one shot away!
We have to make this decisive. The theory that tells the consumers and café owners that will serve coffee in recycled coffee cups is BULLSHIT.
Don’t trust the environmental friendly logotype; and don’t believe the message of the “biodegradable or recyclable coffee cups” such as the one from BioCup: “It doesn’t cost the earth”. Because the reality is that you will ever be guilt-free by drinking coffee from this kind of packaging.
The reality is that those take away coffee cups that claim to be recyclable have a sort of plastic resin (technically called polyethene). This material makes the plastic coffee cups impossible to recycle, even they are mostly made out of paper and behave as cardboard. The packaging is not recyclable and the reason why is because no existing technology can separate both materials. The only way would be doing it manually, which would be very expensive – as you can imagine.
And what about the “biodegradable cups”? They end up in a general waste container that goes directly to a landfill. They emit damaging methane gas, the worse of the greenhouse gases.
As well, all these cups still are served with the plastic lid, made of the material that is destroying our planet.
But wait… there’s a sustainable solution!!
Simply Cups is a fascinating initiative starting in the UK and recently launched in Australia. It consists of the ONLY collection and recycling service in the world dedicated to turning paper and plastic cups into second-life materials.
Alternatives to the use of non-recyclable coffee cups are brands such as Frank Green, Joco, Keep cup and many more. But really, all starts with the cafes encouraging consumers to bring their own recyclable coffee cups! Look up on social media fort he hashtag #bringyourown, for sure there are many local cafes that are promoting a campaign with discounts for you to save money and save the world from getting more plastic waste 🙂
Have you heard about other coffee cup brands?
Did you know about the myth of the “recycling” takeaway coffee cups?
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What brands of BYO coffee cups do you know? Comment below and help others to make a change!
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