The Environmental Sustainability Champions write an article discussing the question: what is the environmental impact of your coffee cup and what you can do to reduce the damage caused?
Written by Bronwen Eastaugh as part of the Sustainability Series.
In the UK 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are used, equivalent to 30,000 tonnes. How many disposable coffee cups we’re using and how we’re disposing of them is an environmental issue.
What’s the problem with the current scenario?
Most waste disposal in the UK goes to landfill with much of the rest being incinerated. Rotting and burning rubbish releases CO2 and methane gas, greenhouse gasses which contribute to global warming. It is suggested that coffee cups in landfill are releasing as much CO2 into the atmosphere as 33,300 cars would in the space of a year. On top of this, rotting rubbish also produces microplastics and other toxic substances which are posing a health risk to us and to other animals and plants. Cups that don’t end up in landfill are littering our surroundings. Around 500,000 cups are littered every day posing a risk to wildlife and ecosystems and causing visual pollution in our communities.
If things go on as predicted, the situation is only going to get worse. With increased demand for coffee, the number of coffee shops in the UK is predicted to increase from 20,000 to 30,000 by 2025 and we’re likely to be using 3.75 billion disposable coffee cups every year (50% more than we do now).
What’s being done about the problem?
Solutions are being introduced to reduce the amount of throw-away cups used and how these are disposed of, such as discounts for using reusable cups, recycling, and switching to biodegradable cups. But are these working?
Some coffee shops have recycling bins for coffee cups however only 0.25% of coffee cups are being recycled. Low recycling rates are because of the number of complex challenges with recycling coffee cups- components, contamination, (mis)communication, consumer behaviour.
Most coffee cups are made from an outer layer of cardboard and an inner layer of plastic which keeps the cup waterproof. Whilst the component parts- the paper and plastic- are recyclable, separating them is complicated. Coffee cups cannot be handled in normal recycling and have to be sent to one of the few recycling plants in the UK who have the right technology to process the cups. Also, if things that are not coffee cups - like lids (made of a different plastic which is not widely recyclable), stirrers, liquid or other waste - end up in the coffee cup recycling bin too, the whole batch becomes contaminated. If there’s too much contaminant in the batch it can no longer be recycled and will end up in landfill.
Not only are coffee cups not being recycled but they are also having a negative impact on recycling rates for other materials. A report shows that 9 in 10 consumers put their coffee cups in general recycling bins. This contaminates general recycling bins, meaning either the whole batch needs to be sent to landfill, or that local councils have to put resources into sorting waste.
Biodegradable cups could be a more environmentally friendly alternative to our usual disposable coffee cups but, again, only if they are disposed of correctly. Because these cups need very specific conditions to break down properly they need to go into special bins to be collected and taken to special composting facilities, of which there are less than 50 in the UK. Whilst advances in compostable cups are happening to make them easier to break down, many cups labelled as compostable won’t compost in regular compost bins and still need to be sent to special facilities too. (There is a difference between biodegradable and compostable cups - look it up if you’re interested).
What can you do to help?
I definitely love coffee, as do many of you- apparently, 1 in 5 of us visit a coffee shop every day and 84% of us are still ordering disposable coffee cups. We’re not about to stop drinking hot drinks all together - but we need to do something to limit the impact of our caffeine fix! Here are some suggestions:
Date written: 31 March 2021
This article is written by Bronwen Eastaugh, an Environmental Sustainability Champion. Bronwen is not an environmental expert but cares about the planet and is volunteering her time to support the University to improve its environmental performance and to encourage staff and students to make positive changes. You can find out more about the Environmental Sustainability Champion’s group here.