For many Aussies and Kiwis, the caffeine habit is a daily addiction that we wouldn't dream of giving up. But you know what we are ready to give up in 2019? Coffee habits that put plastic in landfill! Here are three reasons to get rid of plastic from your coffee addiction, and super easy ways to #sipsustainably.
1. INVASION OF THE CUPS
You've heard it before, but disposable coffee cups with plastic coatings are still a big problem with a simple solution - and now the solution has just had an amazing upgrade! Before the big reveal, here are the facts.
DID YOU KNOW…
Australians use almost a billion disposable coffee cups ever year.
And New Zealanders use another 295 million on top of that!
If you laid these end to end, they would wrap around the world more than twice.
Victoria State Government, The Packaging Forum
The coffee cups that make their way to Sustainable Salons can be recycled, but the plastic coating on the paper base makes them extremely difficult to work with. That’s why we always recommend avoiding disposable coffee cups.
THE SOLUTION
No surprises here...choose to reuse with a reusable coffee cup!
The cup below has been made from recycled coffee cups! Simply Cup collects disposable coffee cups and turns them into rCups, closing the loop in style. The rCup is leak-proof, has 360-degree drinking (meaning you can drink from any side, like an open cup) and is BPA free.
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Another option is the Sol Cup, made from hand blown glass, it has a silicon band and silicon cap in a range of colours. Guaranteed you'll find your perfect match, and it comes in a gorgeous recyclable box that makes them perfect for gifting. Why not upgrade your next coffee date with one for you and each of your friends?
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Sustainable Salon members, shop reusable cups here.
2. OH MY POD
Coffee pods are like magic - little packages that give you coffee at the press of a button. They're classed as recyclable, but the mixed materials in coffee pods means the resources are difficult to recover - and when the plastic ends up in landfill, it stays there for hundreds of years.
DID YOU KNOW…
Globally, billions of plastic and aluminium pods are sent to landfill each year.
Every plastic and aluminium pod ever put in landfill still exists – they take 150 to 500 years to break down.
The former Nespresso CEO has publicly condemned disposable coffee pods.
ABC News
THE SOLUTION
Don't toss your coffee pod machine yet! There are reusable, biodegradable and compostable options on the market that will make your morning coffee a little greener.
One option is Dingo Republic’s coffee pods. Their pods break are biodegradable and EN13432 certified, meaning in industrial compost facilities they will disintegrate within 12 weeks, and will break down into CO2, water and minerals in just six months. You can also pop them into your home compost or landfill where they will also break down, though more slowly.
Members, shop biodegradable coffee pods here.
3. BAN THE BAG PACKAGING
Aussies banned the supermarket bag in 2018, and Kiwis are quick to follow in 2019, but what about all the plastic packaging on the supermarket shelves? Tonnes of plastic goes into neatly wrapping your groceries, including coffee!
DID YOU KNOW…
900 000 tonnes of plastic packaging were created in Australia in 2018.
Over 600 000 tonnes of it went to landfill.
University of Technology Sydney
THE SOLUTION
Where you can, choose plastic-free packaging, or no packaging at all! Buy your coffee from a shop with a bulk dispenser and store it in a reusable container. Or support a more environmentally friendly packaging option, such as biodegradable and compostable bags. Syndicate Coffee uses Econic packaging for their coffee beans, which is compostable except for the small plastic gassing valve. Simply pull off the valve, put it in your plastics bin and the rest can be composted.
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Members, shop Syndicate Coffee here (Australia only).
