Reusing Energy1 min read

It’s been a year since I’ve graduated from University and finally put my sleeping routine back on track.

Like most in further education, in order to avoid taking a nap during lectures or seminars from all the rush, we bought large cups of coffee from the canteen to boost our energy levels.

So I was in shock as of last night upon discovering Starbucks’ new plan of an extra 5p charge when purchasing a cup of coffee.

The BBC had reported that the world famous coffeehouse chain is starting trials in its UK outlets in an attempt to cut the waste caused cups; encouraging consumers to reuse rather than buy more.

Starbucks are the first out of all of the coffee chains in Britain to introduce a 5p charge on cups.

The first trials have begun on 35 London branches.

Some haven’t taken lightly to the news, however when you see the statistics, you’ll understand why this initiative had to be taken.

Every year, around 2.5bn disposable cups go to waste due to over-usage in developed countries.

Disposable cups can’t be recycled by normal systems due to the fact that the material is different and as a result, only one in 400 cups are recycled.

This means that half a million coffee cups litter the UK each day!

Our government has been successful in reducing plastic bag waste with a national charge, but will it work the same for coffee consumers?

Despite having introduced price slashes on eco-friendly cups more than 20 years ago, people still buy regular cups from places like Starbucks.

Only the next few years will tell if the 5p charge will benefit waste reduction.

Should it not, corporations like Starbucks will still be making a huge profit.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash