Today (Wednesday 4 October) is No Disposable Cup Day! An event which kicked off in 2019 to raise international awareness of the fact that 7 million disposable cups are used every day in the UK.
To support our planet further, we could use a reusable cup as much as possible.
Having a re-useable cup/bottle with you has many benefits, including:
- Keeps drinks cooler/warmer for longer (they tend to be insulated, as opposed to a disposable cup)
- Safer to transport warm liquids (on commute to work for example)
Craig Brown, Head of Sustainability & Environmental Performance, NHS Lanarkshire, said: “If you have a reusable cup, please try and use it as much as and as often as possible. As well as anything else that there is a reusable option for. Small actions, repeated, really do make a large impact. Whilst disposable cups are the primary focus on 4th October, single use plastics (SUP) are also an increasing issue. So again, anything you can do to reduce SUP use then please try to do so, both in the work place and at home.
“Our team are working towards delivering numbers around how many disposable cups are sold each year in NHS Lanarkshire. Hopefully by this time next year, we will have collected some good quality data and be able to work with everyone to help reduce the number of cups sold, improve the environment, reduce the amount of waste produced, and save everyone a little money.
“I always have my reusable coffee cup and water bottle, they help you keep hydrated and save the environment – so it’s a win win.”
There are many options for disposable cups (or bottles):
- https://uk.keepcup.com/
- https://uk.frankgreen.com/
- https://www.chillysbottles.com/uk/categories/coffee-cups
- https://www.hydroflask.com/uk-en/coffee
- https://bru-cups.co.uk/collections/our-cups * https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/sustainable-wellness/2020/09/29/no-disposable-cup-day-sunday-4th-oct-2020/
But many others are available, and most coffee shops, cafes etc. will sell them in a variety of sizes, colours and finishes to suit as many people as possible.
