Climate Conscience Man’s Dreaded Disposable Coffee Cup Dilemma

Climate Conscience Man loves a good cuppa. Both tea and coffee!

Preferably at home or at a nice café. And in a decent cup. It tastes better that way. His feet on the ground. Time to think. But life isn’t always that way.

Sometimes he’s on the highway, recharging the EV at a servo halfway between Canberra and his mum’s place. The only option is Hungry Jacks which won’t let him use his own cup, or a fast-food joint with plastic chairs, dirty tables and bright lights that charges him $2 extra.

And then there are the days when he just forgets. The reusable cup’s at home, in the dishwasher, or sitting lonely and dirty on the passenger seat of the car.

And so… he ends up with the cup he swore he wouldn’t use. The dreaded disposable.

The guilt part

He knows better. That’s a big part of the problem. He’s aware that most disposable cups aren’t even recyclable. Even though they look like paper, they’re lined with plastic.

He’s read about the microplastic particles that can shed into hot drinks - and the chemicals in the lids that mimic hormones and mess with bodies. And he knows that Australians throw away around 2.7 million disposable coffee cups every day. That’s more than a billion a year. It adds up fast.

So even though his cup might feel like a small thing - he also knows every one not used makes a difference.

The human part

But he’s also tired. And in need of a cuppa. And he reckons he’s not alone. What’s more, most other people in the queues don’t even seem to be facing coffee cup angst. Many seem to be actually enjoying sucking their coffee through adult sippy cup lids.

That said, Climate Conscience Man reminds himself that the goal isn’t perfection or judgement - it’s trying. He keeps his favourite reusable in the car. He’s bought a couple of extras (the leak-proof kind) for backup. He supports cafés that don’t use disposable cups and ones that reward reuse, not punish it. He even tries to bring his own coffee in a thermos.

And when he does end up with a disposable cup? He tries not to beat himself up for a week.

He just tries to do better next time.

The bigger picture

Climate Conscience Man knows the real fix isn’t just one bloke remembering his cup. That’s not going to change the world. Shifting the rules and changing the norm will. Ending the throwaway default. Like with soft plastics, the real answer needs to be about making it easier - not harder - for people to do the right thing.

Reusable systems and cup libraries, … Yes. But most importantly, legislative change from governments to create incentives for doing less harm.

In the meantime, he’s doing his part. One cup at a time. And trying not to beat himself up too much when he does fall victim to the dreaded disposable coffee cup.

Climate Conscience Man and his reusable keep cups.