26 Apr 2019
Why you should stop using disposable cups this UK Coffee Week
UK Coffee Week takes place from 29 April – 5 May this year, but with 2.5 billion disposable cups being used every year, what is the price we pay for our cup of coffee?
If every student and member of staff used five less disposable cups, we would save 100,000 disposable cups from being used and thrown away.
Ditch the disposables during UK Coffee Week to help save the planet – there’s also some benefits for you:
Get discounts on your coffee
Available to buy for just £7 from all retail outlets on campus, the Loughborough Cup will get you three free hot drinks (not including the SU) and a 10% discount after that.
Nearly all high street coffee shops now offer a discount for using a reusable cup, so keep your Loughborough Cup with you when you are out and about.
The rCup is also available to purchase for £12. These cups are produced by alumnus Dan Dicker and are partially made from recycled paper cups. Ashortwalk have designed the rCup to last more than ten years and offer a free replacement seal to further its lifespan.
Over 1 million disposable cups were used on the Loughborough campus every year before the launch of the Cup campaign. This has now been reduced by 25%.
Have some downtime
Try drinking in when you can.
Meeting a friend for a catch-up or revising for an exam? Take a seat and have your drink in a ceramic mug instead.
You will be giving yourself some much-needed downtime and helping to reduce waste too.
Free coffee grounds
To reduce the large amount of waste produced at the University, the Sustainability team introduced coffee ground bins to the campus.
Coffee grounds can be used in many ways including as an exfoliator, making compost and getting stubborn grease off kitchen counters. Some tutorials can be found here.
The coffee ground bins are located at the Edward Herbert building and Martin Hall. Bring along an empty container and pick up some coffee grounds free of charge.
Recycling
All is not lost if you forget your reusable cup or do not have time to drink in.
The University has recycling bins specifically for disposable cups across campus. Remember to drain the dregs and remove the plastic lid before disposing of the cup.
Please note that disposable cups cannot currently be recycled through other recycling bins due to the mixture of plastic and paper used.
Find out more about the Sustainability team and the work they do here.