Will Coffee Be the End of Us?
How many cups of coffee do you need you get through the day?
Not being a big coffee fan myself, my answer is almost always zero, but according to realcoffee.co.uk coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with over 400 billion cups consumed each year.
The key essentials for a morning pick me up
With the cold weather fast approaching its likely that our coffee consumption will only increase in the coming months in an attempt to warm ourselves up before facing those cold winter mornings, but is our addiction to coffee (and other hot beverages) bad for the planet?
An article by the Guardian entitled 'UK's billions of takeaway cups could each take '30 years' to break down' highlights that tonnes of the cups that we think are being recycled actually aren’t…. this is apparently due to a plastic lining that prevents cups from being easily biodegradable.
This means that it could take up to 30 years for the cup to break down!
The waste generated from used cups is becoming such an issue that last week the Liberal Democrats called for a 5p tax on coffee cups, much like the plastic bag tax imposed last year.
But, all is not lost! Before attempting to overcome your constant craving for a caffeine fix from your nearest and dearest barista I promise that there is light at the end of the tunnel...
Companies are taking steps towards developing 100% recyclable cups as a way to combat the problem and before you think that it hunting down these special eco cups will just present an added inconvenience to your morning routine, some of the biggest coffeehouses and cafes like Starbucks, Costa and Pret are extremely keen to take part!
Not only does this mean that you can go back to feeding your coffee (or in my case peppermint tea) addiction in peace, but you can also do a little bit of good for the planet without lifting a finger.
Plus the huge coffee cup bins that are popping up do looking pretty cool… in a very comical way.
Let me know what you think below, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
What our new coffee cup recycling bins are suggested to look like! Pretty cool!
