Are you in the habit of sipping your morning coffee and strolling off like nothing happened? Well, something did happen – the moment that hot, comforting brew passed from a disposable cup into your hand, you unwittingly added to a global environmental crisis.
The Quiet Journey of Your Cup
You savour your coffee. You’re recharged. The cup? It sits, forgotten—until break time, when you toss it in the bin.
Come the next morning, it’s gone and so begins its end: the landfill, the waste stream. That innocent moment of convenience ripples outward.
- You have cherished every sip of your beverage until you recharge your mind.
- The cup is now on your table waiting to reach its next destination, the trash bin.
- Voila! Break time, and it lands in the bin next to your desk.
- The very next day, you come back to an empty bin. Where did that cup go?
- It is on its way to the landfill, an add-on to the accumulated waste.
It’s no small issue. In the UK alone, approximately 2.5 billion paper cups are used every year – and most aren’t recycled because of their plastic linings.
A Local Café, a Global Statement
Enter Otto’s Coffee House & Kitchen, tucked in Sevenoaks, Kent. In a remarkable act of eco-activism, they collected 15,000 used disposable cups over about a month—some scavenged from local bins—then transformed that stockpile into a visceral visual: they covered their shop’s floor with the cups.
The result?
A bold “walk of shame” for anyone ordering coffee in a single-use cup, customers literally had to wade through the litter to reach the counter. But those with their own reusable cup? They were served right at the door, spared the cup-strewn path.
Risky Strategy, Rewarding Impact
Financially, the stunt was a risk. Amid COVID challenges, Otto’s saw roughly a 10% drop in sales. But the move generated massive global attention online—proof that a small café in Kent could punch above its weight in promoting sustainability.
Plus, Otto’s hasn’t hidden behind slogans. In their own words: “a planet before profit approach”—offering biodegradable labels, recyclable bags, and now a full-scale war on waste.
Not-so-fun fact:
Australia alone makes up for an epic 60,000 kg of disposable cups that end up in the country’s landfills every year.
What happened in the UK should happen everywhere…
As simple as it sounds, this marked the most effective campaign of environmental awareness in the UK, with concrete evidence that 15000 cups are sent to the landfill every month. They were able to get the message across to the whole wide world after their post went viral on social media. It was a risk-worthy decision, but a thoughtful one to go the extra mile to nurture nature.
Sustainability at its best
When people ask for stats and proof of waste, this is the best step that could be taken to show the seriousness of the issue. It is not always true that everything gets recycled somehow, somewhere in the cranny, and all is well because we used a paper cup.
You do have a choice to become slightly more conscious and start using your most cherished reusable tumblers or cups every time you think of walking down to the cafe for any beverage. It serves a purpose in terms of hygiene, especially during COVID, and reduces waste automatically.
Be the Change, One Cup at a Time
Here’s how you can make a difference:
- Bring your own reusable cup—it cuts waste and is hygienic.
- Support businesses that ban disposables or offer incentives for reusables.
- Spread the word—share Otto’s move, your own photos, or eco-challenge ideas.
- Think upstream: avoid disposable packaging wherever you can—cutlery, cups, bags.
Making an effort can go a long way in restoring the environment. Be the change you wish to see.