I bought this of my own volition and I'm slightly horrified at the facts that drove me to this particular purchase.
the why::right let's get down to it.
I absolutely loathe single use items. We are increasingly becoming allergic to any form of inconvenience or forethought (to the detriment of our resources) and this has manifested in our culture of 'on the go food'. Everything is housed in single use plastics or cardboard and comes with plastic cutlery and a plastic bag....
Half of the plastic produced globally goes into products that are used only once [1]
If that itself doesn't horrify you, then please take a moment to yourself. Inconvenience is no longer an acceptable reason to do (or not do) something.
Did you also know that compostable and biodegradable paper cups cannot be put into household compost and need to be commercially broken down. This means they require dedicated collection and if sorted incorrectly can contaminate a whole batch, meaning it all ends in landfill [2]
It pains me to say this, but most people think they're saving the planet by the act of recycling - and with that the more they do the better they're doing it.
No. That's not how this system works. We need to reduce the amount we are having to recycle by actively buying items which last - think of the items you own as your legacy. I for one would rather have a higher quality reusable object than a flimsy paper one. Go figure.
1 million disposable cups end up in landfill every minute - calculated from an estimation of 500 billion annually [3]
Again. Flabbergasted.
15 uses of your KeepCup puts you environmentally in the green [4]
I also calculated that with the 25p saving on my hot drinks I'll have effectively paid for my KeepCup in 80 drinks - or two months worth of regular consumption.
Do I need to continue?
The only plausible, arguable downside to this is remembering to carry it with you in the first place. Given we all manage that with our phone, keys and wallet I'm not sure there's a strong argument here at all.
the what::Mine is a KeepCup Brew Cork Edition in Almond. It is a medium size which holds 340ml - so you can get either a smaller one or a larger depending on personal preference.
Sourced sustainably from portugese forests the cork band is light, antibacterial, biodegradable and doesn't need to be removed to be washed.
The cup itself is made from fully tempered, barista standard soda lime glass (all of which I'm guessing are good things) and it feels nice in the hand.
It does need to be handwashed.
That's okay.
It's hardly challenging.
the how::If I need to walk you through how to buy coffee then please call your family or close friend, because like me you shouldn't be handling hot drinks....
my thoughts::This saves me 25p every time I buy a coffee from certain shops (in fact you'll be surprised how many offer this) and is aesthetically pleasing.
It ensures I'm no longer contributing to that particular aspect of waste production and gives me a really nice portable cup that I'm not ashamed to hand over and have filled.
Please bear in mind that there are many options for these reusable cups, and my emphasis of this post is to get across the importance of avoiding the disposable rather than buying something new.
KeepCup is a brand that I feel represents my values and is one I'm happy to invest in.
Get yours
here.[1] Plastic, a toxic love story, Susan Freinkel, 2011
[2] Coffey P, http://www.aora.org.au/, April 2013
[3] Jim Hanna www.oneearth.org, April 2012
[4]Hocking M (1994) "Reusable and disposable cups: An energy based evaluation"*Breakeven is calculated in reference to the life cycle of each product.
