They are almost unavoidable in the cityscape, colorfully printed, available almost everywhere, and a real problem for our environment: disposable coffee cups. According to the Federal Environment Agency, 2.8 billion disposable cups are used in Germany every year. The waste bins in city centers are correspondingly full, and the cups can also be found in many other places in cities and rural areas. Changing the culture of drinking coffee on the go is very difficult, but there are alternatives. Find out what they are in the latest environmental tip.

Disposable cups are among the ten plastic-containing disposable products most commonly found on European beaches and in European seas. This is a clear sign of the high level of pollution in the environment, which is not only a problem in the seas. For waste management itself, the volume of waste from paper cups in the "to go" sector is a particular problem: it accounts for up to 15 percent of the volume of existing waste bins in urban areas.

A recent study by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) suggests focusing on reusable systems and setting up a "littering fund." This fund would be used to finance the cleaning of streets and landscapes. Sixty percent of disposable cups are plastic-coated paper cups, with the remaining 40 percent being pure plastic cups. In addition, around 1.3 billion disposable plastic lids are generated. Plastic-coated paper cups alone, classic "coffee-to-go" cups, fill eight million typical city trash cans per year. [Source: Federal Environment Agency]

Reusable cup initiative "BecherBonus"

To avoid unnecessary waste, the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of the Environment has launched the "BecherBonus" reusable cup initiative. More than 250 stores are taking action against disposable cups. Anyone who brings a reusable cup is rewarded with a discount. The agreement is for a minimum of ten cents. Participating bakeries, cafes, and stores have a corresponding sticker on their shop window. You can find out which stores offer a cup bonus by clicking on the link below.

Which reusable cups are good

Consumers want sturdy cups, with or without thermal insulation, that are easy to clean and can be used forever. Unfortunately, many of these reusable plastic coffee cups contain bisphenol A (BPA for short), a substance that can leach out of the plastic, especially at high temperatures, and acts similarly to the female sex hormone estrogen in the human body.

Coffee cups containing melamine (resin) are also a cause for concern. This is the case with most bamboo coffee-to-go cups currently available. The Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) advises that melamine resin tableware should only be used at temperatures up to 70°C, as otherwise toxins may be released. However, fresh coffee can quickly exceed 70°C.

We have done some research for you and found three recent reports with suggestions for environmentally friendly, durable, and low-pollutant cups. We have included the relevant links for you in the link collection below. It is often a problem that the cup you bring with you does not fit under the machine. Cups with a maximum height of 12.5 cm usually fit without any problems. Otherwise, the coffee could be poured from a small pot into the cup, for example, in which case the height of the cup is no longer important.