While my coffee on the run habit has dwindled to a rare indulgence, I find that if I keep a travel mug in my car I’m more likely to remember to use it, thereby diverting at least one paper cup from the landfill. Most coffee shops are happy to serve their patrons coffee in a reusable container, and some even offer a slight discount.
According to Carbonrally, 14.4 billion cups of coffee are bought in disposable paper cups each year. Placed end-to-end, they say, these cups would wrap around the earth 55 times and weigh around 900 million pounds. How’s that for inspiration to change?
Whether your drink of choice is hot or cold, bringing your own container will eliminate an unnecessary contribution to the landfill. (In addition to the plastic lid, insulated takeout cups have a thin plastic lining hidden under the innocuous looking paper, which means the cups are not recyclable.)
[...] in a reusable bottle or travel mug to take drinks along with you. We have one for every member of the family (and then some) and my [...]
[...] your own beverage container to conferences and events where foam cups are commonly used. Bonus: you can use it for water, too, [...]