How to Participate in No Disposable Cup Day 2023

The Climate Crisis is something that’s discussed on the news, almost daily. With our awareness of climate change ever increasing and the more we learn about the negative impact that some of our lifestyle choices have on the environment, it’s never been more important for us to make a real change, and that often means starting off with making the smallest of differences in our everyday lives.

One of the ways in which we can help the planet is by practising No Disposable Cup Day, which is set to take place on 4th October 2023. With this in mind, here’s everything you need to know about disposable cups, their detrimental effects on the environment and how you can make a reusable cup part of your lifestyle for good.

Why are disposable cups so bad for the environment?

You might not think that you’re doing much damage by throwing away a reusable cup, whether it be for coffee or a cold beverage, but the problem actually starts before the product is even made. According to Huskee, around 20 million trees are cut down every single year to produce disposable coffee cups. This is a significant loss of trees, causing the carbon dioxide in the air to be absorbed into the atmosphere, instead of by the trees. This contributes to pollution and irreparable damage to ecosystems worldwide.

In addition to cutting down millions of trees that would take many years to replace, the other problem is the very fact that they are disposable. Although some are made from paper, not many of them can actually be recycled thanks to the waxy coating that is applied to them afterwards. In addition to paper cups, polystyrene cups are also in circulation, and they can’t be recycled either.

In fact, less than 1% of the paper cups produced and used are actually recycled, claims The Telegraph. This is a terrifying statistic considering that, in the USA alone, over 50 billion coffee cups are used and thrown away each year, states Greener Ideal. The UK uses 2.5 billion disposable cups annually, according to The Independent, which equates to 7 million cups every day, and many of those will end up in landfill.

Essentially, the use of disposable cups, whether paper or otherwise, is incredibly damaging to the environment. It directly affects wildlife and contaminates our oceans to an irreversible situation. One way to combat this is to get as many people as possible to switch to a reusable cup.

What are the benefits of reusable cups?

Reusable cups aren’t a new invention, but they’ve become far more advanced and efficient at keeping beverages hot. Moving on from materials used in their infancy, reusable cups, these days, are made from a wide range of different materials, including bamboo, glass and stainless steel. But aside from always having something to carry your hot beverage in, here are a few other ways in which a reusable cup would be advantageous for you:

• Insulated cups, like the ones we have available here at VASO, can keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold for hours on end.
• They help to reduce your carbon footprint as you won’t be contributing to landfill.
• There are many reusable cups out there to suit your style, from different colours and patterns to different shapes and sizes.
• They’re more cost-effective, as you won’t have to pay extra for disposable alternatives.
• You’ll be able to carry hot beverages and feel less heat with a resusable insulated cup.

How to get into the habit of using your reusable cup

There are things you’ll need to do to make sure that you get into the habit of bringing your reusable cup with you, no matter where you might be going. Here are three things that will help you to get into the habit of using your reusable cup, no matter how busy you might be:

Be organised

Being organised is the key to making sure that you’ll remember to bring your reusable cup with you. Part of that is to set everything up the night before you have to go anywhere, making sure that your reusable cup is in sight so that you don’t forget to bring it with you, because when it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. Make a small pile of things that you need to bring out of the house with you, like your keys, sunglasses, wallet and your reusable cup. This way, you’ll just be able to pick everything up in the morning and head out of the door, unless you practise the 3-minute rule, which we’ll get onto in a moment.

Make sure it’s always clean & ready for use

Part of being organised is to make sure that your reusable cup is clean and ready to use again at the end of each day. If you take it to work with you, take it out of your car or bag and wash it before work the following day. This way, you won’t have to worry about spending extra time washing it in the morning. Something else that might happen is that you just don’t bring it with you, because it’s not clean and ready to use. Be organised and make sure you prepare the night before. This way, you’ll have no excuse but to bring your reusable cup with you everywhere you go.

Use the 3-minute rule

Instead of rushing out the door immediately, the 3-minute rule states that you must stand around for 3 minutes to think about what you may have forgotten. Whether you’ve forgotten to close the windows upstairs or nearly forgot to bring your lunch with you to work, it makes you stop and think about things before you fly out of the house.

Within those 3 minutes, you may remember to bring your reusable cup with you in case you fancy a hot beverage whilst out and about. Or you might remember that you haven’t yet had your morning coffee and that you should bring one with you in your reusable cup. Either way, it will help you to remember to bring your cup with you.

Where can I take my reusable cup?

You might be thinking that you don’t have much use for a reusable cup, but you’d be pleasantly surprised by how useful a reusable coffee cup or a reusable tumbler can be in everyday life. Just to give you an idea, here’s a list of just some of the places you could take your reusable cup:

To your local coffee shop

Retailers are always looking for new ways to get customers to bring their own reusable cup, so bring yours next time you fancy treating yourself to a coffee. Not only will this help to save you money, as you won’t have to purchase a disposable one, but you’ll also be keeping your carbon footprint low.

On a dog walk

Reusable coffee cups have insulative properties, meaning that hot drinks will stay hot and cold drinks will stay cold. This is perfect for those who enjoy long walks with their dog early in the morning when it’s slightly cooler. By bringing your reusable cup on your walk with you, you’re getting two things done at once: walking the dog and drinking your morning coffee.

To the gym

Our reusable tumblers are perfect for bringing to the gym with you. Not only do they hold a considerable amount of liquid, but you’ll always have an ice cold drink to sip on in between workouts. Not only this, but you’ll also have the option to refill your cup as it will fit neatly under water fountains and water dispensers.

On a long drive

As already touched upon, a reusable cup will keep your hot beverage hot for hours. So even if you’re taking a long drive as part of your staycation, you’ll have peace of mind that your coffee will be just as fresh and warm as when you first poured it. It’s ready for you to drink whenever you want to take a break.

To work

It’s almost commonplace now for people to bring reusable coffee cups and reusable tumblers into work. Whether it contains their favourite juice or has just been filled with a hot beverage from their go-to coffee shop, a reusable cup for work is a staple for anyone, no matter the industry you work in. From busy environments to lunchtime breaks, a reusable cup will make all the difference to your work routine.