Challenge checklist
- Commit to carrying your own cup – and let’s ditch disposables for good!
- Support cafes who support the reusable cup movement (or ask yours to join) – do a search at responsiblecafes.org
- take 3 and sit in for your coffee – make like the sophisticated AND responsible Italians
- Get your friends, relatives, school or workplace to join in – when we work together everything is possible.
- #carryyourcup – sharing is caring
Say NO thanks to single-use coffee cups
#carryyourcup
The Issue
Can’t survive without your morning caffeine hit? You’re not alone! Every year, humans could fill 10 million tram carriages with the coffee cups we consume. But they’re recyclable, right? WRONG! Most coffee cups are lined with polyethylene to stop them leaking, and it’s this thin layer makes them unrecyclable. But what about those ‘compostable’ ones? Unless you have a commercial grade composter, your green bin just isn’t going to cut it.
The big picture
Every minute, 1 million disposable cups are discarded to landfill. 500 billion are manufactured globally every year. The resources used in their production - water, trees, plastic and energy - contribute to vast quantities of CO2 entering the atmosphere, warming our planet and oceans which is bad news for the Reef. By making the switch, you can cut your global warming potential by up to 92%.
Plastics: the Reef triple-threat
- Marine pollution: marine life is killed by entanglement or ingesting plastic pieces
- Climate change: its energy intensive production generates climate-warming emissions
- Disease: coral-destroying diseases embedded in plastic are carried across the ocean
Our impact
By joining our action, you’re personally contributing to a significant reduction in the number of coffee cups entering landfill - now imagine the collective impact of thousands of Citizens across the planet uniting to carry their own cup! People, governments and businesses around the world are already taking action and supporting the eradication of single-use cups. Let’s send a clear message to decision makers - the reuse revolution is here to stay.
Spread the word
We would love to see what you’re doing, so don’t forget to #citizensGBR and #uniteforthereef alongside the snaps of you lipping your latte-art at the local caffeine collective. Posting about your efforts isn't bragging – you’re helping to grow our community and champion positive impact for the Reef.