Coffee lovers are being asked to make better cup choices as part of the Plastic Free July initiative “Choose to Up Cup: Bring, Borrow, Stay,” which encourages people to take a reusable cup to cafés, borrow a cup, or choose to stay and enjoy their beverage.
Single-use plastic coffee cups and lids are included in Stage Two of the WA Plan for Plastics which will commence next year.
It is estimated that Western Australians use about 190 million single-use coffee cups with lids per year, all of which end up in landfill or as litter.
“We don’t want to get between Western Australians and their coffee, and the good news is that there are lots of ways to enjoy a coffee without creating plastic waste,” WA Environment minister Reece Whitby said.
“Let’s Choose to Up Cup, as together we can make a big difference. You have the choice to bring, borrow or stay. Personally, I love my keep cup and I take it everywhere with me. I Choose to Up Cup.”
The Choose to Up Cup initiative asks people to think about what to do when they forget their keep-cup, such as going to a café that allows them to borrow a cup or choosing to stay and enjoy their coffee in the café.
Coffee drinkers are also being asked to encourage friends, community groups or their work colleagues to ‘up their cup game’ with initiatives such as a mug library in the office kitchen or researching nearby cafés with a swap scheme.
“Fremantle is well known for its coffee culture, as anyone who has visited our famous Cappuccino Strip will attest – but your daily brew doesn’t have to mean creating plastic waste,” Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk said.
“It’s great to see so many Freo businesses supporting the Choose to Up Cup initiative this Plastic Free July. A keep cup is a great option if you’re on the go, but I would urge those who can, to stay and enjoy their caffeine hit in a café – I know I will.”
More information, including posters and social media tiles, are available on the Plastic Free July website. Search Plastic Free July Up Cup to access their digital resource library.