Produce less waste – the coffee to go debacle – part 1

Maite Ullah/ March 3, 2017/ English/ 1 comments

Ever since I started working in my twenties and could actually not tolerate walking into the office looking like a zombie and – even worse – performing like a dead woman, I became majorly hooked on coffee as a kickstarter for my day. Don’t get me wrong, I am able to get up in the middle of the night, go take a train or a plane or take care of a screaming baby without caffeine, but when it comes to “serious working in an office-related building in front of a computer”, I need at least one latte to get me going properly.

So, my relationship with coffee runs deep and I am not willing or able to let it go quickly, but I have become aware – like many other people and companies (thank God!) – that the litter/waste produced by our coffee to go culture is becoming more and more of a problem… to our planet, as every kind of pollution and trash, and to my consciousness, because it is so avoidable.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to lecture you on how bad all these coffee cups and lids and spill-protectors and plastic spatulas are for the environment (more info on that, in German, can be found here) – I think the fact that they’re bad is pretty obvious. But recently I noticed that there are more and more coffee-selling places who come up with ways to encourage you to reduce the amount of paper and plastic cups by rewarding or at least accepting your own tumblers and reusable cups.

Starbucks – which might not be your number one choice for coffee for other reasons – started it years ago already, incentivizing customers by giving them a small reduction (which actually differs depending on what country you’re in – but then so do their coffee prices as well). My favorite coffee place in Berlin Friedrichshain has also been doing it for years. And even McDonald’s started deducing 10% if you bring your own cups to their McCafé places.

Now ARAL, the biggest fuel/petroleum company (and likewise biggest coffee to go seller) in Germany is following that trend as well and will start giving a 10 cent discount to any coffee to go sold in a reusable cup. Although I have to admit that I don’t recall ever buying a coffee at a gas station, I still think they’re heading in the right direction – especially since it’s no hassle at all to keep a reusable cup with you… in your car. (You don’t even have to carry it!!) Plus the coffee shops even rinse/wash it for you.

Just to round this up: More good news! Deutsche Bahn, the German railway company, now also allows you to bring your own cup and take your coffee to go. So you don’t even have to find a coffee place in the station, just grab one on the train and get going .

So, pick a good, sustainable reusable cup and keep it with you for all those exhausting mornings and afternoons when you really need an extra shot without the bad conscience… and try to focus on worrying about fair trade good taste coffee instead!!