Ecoffee Cup CEO Stirred by Hugh's War on Waste Campaign
David McLagan claims that consumer behaviour MUST change
Reusable rather than recyclable is the ONLY way to tackle
the issue of waste
Over 100 billion single use cups go to landfill each year
globally. Hugh's estimate of 2.5 of billion in UK must be considered in this
context
Following Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's BBC News Viewpoint
piece on coffee cup waste, and the airing of Episode 3 of his War on Waste
series taking on coffee shop giants Starbucks, Costa and Caffè Nero last week,
David McLagan, Founder & CEO of revolutionary new reusable and biodegradable
coffee cup brand, Ecoffee Cup, pitches in to emphasise the need to focus on
changing consumer behaviour rather than holding out for the big coffee
corporations to effect change.
“In his War on Waste campaign, Hugh estimates that 2.5
billion single-use cups per year go to landfill in the UK. But the problem is
much bigger when we look beyond Britain...
With estimates of up to half a trillion manufactured,
globally, over 100 billion single-use cups go to landfill each year. Starbucks,
in the US alone, serves 8,000 cups per minute.
This is not a new issue… We have been talking about it for
almost a decade.
Unfortunately, no-one can (or will be inclined to) disclose
exactly how many cups are manufactured per year. The major culprits, the big
coffee shop chains, are particularly sheepish. Single-use cups make up a major
component of their consumer offering and are entrenched in their business
model. It's difficult for them to change their behaviour unless they are forced
to. They also claim that alternative cup options affect the “perfect coffee
experience”. So, sadly, reusables don't meet their business criteria.
Due to the volumes produced, single-use cups are cheap and
make up a miniscule percentage of the cost of a cup of coffee, which means a
change to something more sustainable will impact on profits, and shareholders
are averse to anything that does that.
Starbucks has announced it will be “trialling” Frugal Cup –
a recyclable single-use cup – in the UK. Whilst this is a step in the right
direction, we don't believe it tackles the problem at the source. We can't see
how this will work in practical terms either.
Separation and non-contamination of recycling is the key and
unless facilities exist, it will be very difficult to ensure such separation
occurs, especially when dealing with cups that are taken off premises. Instead,
and as is the current reality, cups will simply end up in general waste.
In order to have any impact at all, coffee chains need to
invest in special facilities - dedicated bins, dedicated waste recovery,
dedicated recycling facilities - and pool resources to do it. Unfortunately, we
can't see this happening any time soon.
So rather than focusing on the recycling of single-use cups,
it's behaviour that needs to change.
Sadly, within two decades we have become a single-use,
plastic society. We're all a bit lazy. We feel it's difficult to avoid plastic,
difficult to avoid single-use. No-one is apportioning blame and preaching is
counterproductive, but like single-use plastic bottles, and more recently,
plastic bags, it's evident that it's not that hard to change a few little
things to help make a big difference. Reusable coffee cups are the way
forward.”
David McLagan founded Ecoffee Cup in 2013. Made from
biodegradable bamboo fibre and available in a wide range of stylish designs,
Ecoffee Cup is light, practical and resealable for easy storage in bags. With a
number of coffee shops and cafes offering discounts for those using reusable
cups, it also saves money for the British coffee consuming public. Ecoffee Cup
has set up the #stopthe100billion social media campaign in an attempt to raise
awareness of the issue and effect real change in the way we consume coffee.
For more information or to purchase an Ecoffee Cup, visit
www.ecoff.ee
If you want to find out more about Chef Wise go to
the Chef Wise web site just follow the links below.
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