Keep cups, 1,200 in total, have been distributed by Central Coast Council to local cafés, to provide to their customers, free of charge, in an effort to reduce single-use coffee cup litter.
The initiative forms part of Council’s commitment to the Hey Tosser campaign this financial year, which continues to remind residents and visitors to dispose of waste responsibly. Mayor Jane Smith said she encouraged the community to add the use of reusable coffee cups to their list of new resolutions. “With so many avid coffee drinkers on the Coast, distributing the reusable coffee cups is a simple way that Council is helping to enable the community to reduce litter to keep the Coast clean,” Mayor Smith said. “By remembering to take your reusable keep cup, not only are you helping to reduce waste, you may also be eligible for a discount.
“Alternatively, if you do forget your reusable coffee cup, you can take a seat and enjoy your cuppa at your local café rather than having a take away. “Council are leading by example when it comes to reducing their waste, by implementing initiatives to encourage staff to also use their own reusable coffee cups. “With around one billion single-use coffee cups ending up in landfill every year, reusable coffee cups can help reduce this statistic, one coffee at a time.” Even though single-use coffee cups are mostly made from paper, the different types of plastic lined, wax-coated and polystyrene cups manufactured makes it difficult to determine the difference between products, which is why they are not recycled on the Central Coast.
Mayor Smith said she urged residents and visitors to make sure they disposed of all their waste correctly. “Summer is one of the busiest times of the year for the Central Coast and unfortunately, this season, there has been an increase in litter on our beaches and in our reserves,” Mayor Smith added. “Take away containers account for 24 percent of litter in New South Wales, so please, if you do find yourself in need of using a single-use coffee cup, or have any other rubbish with you, ensure it is placed in the waste bins provided, or take it home with you to place in your red-lidded bin. “It is all our responsibility to ensure we protect our pristine waterways and valleys from plastics and pollution.”
Source: Media release, Jan 31 Jane Smith, Central Coast Council