Here's How We Can All Help Reduce Coffee Waste in the Industry

Coffee is the fuel that gets the majority of us through our working day, so it's no surprise that collectively, we consume 95 million cups of coffee in the UK daily. Our heavy consumption of  the drink that provides our brains with energy and keeps us awake when our work is dull, however has taken its toll on the environment.

Currently around 7 million disposable cups are used every single day and then you have to add in how many pods are used in at home coffee machines like nespresso. Although these products are recyclable (nespresso give you a paid for postage bag so you can send the pods back and costa and macdonalds have partnered with a waste company so cups disposed of in store can actually be recycled), in reality, this recycling rate only equates to about 1% of the waste produced.

It is safe to say that although we have quite a long way to go to help with this problem, at least we have already started. Many people are carrying around their reusable coffee cup and the pressure on companies to change is growing. Just look at the plastic straw if you need proof.

For the people that aren't quiet as willing to change all of their habits though, there are still companies doing there bit to try and clean up the coffee industry with Percol coffee being one of these. They recognise that just being able to recycle coffee cups isn't going to be enough, but it is a start. That is why they have made sure that their products are not just recyclable but also easily accessible to shoppers so that they can continue to shop as normal but make simple, more sustainable product switches. Simple.

Their instant coffee comes in a tin instead of a plastic container unlike many of the brands you see in the super market. which is more easily recycled. They have created compostable nespresso pods which if you're council have industrial compost (shout out to Lambeth Council) you can dispose of these in there. They have created their own ice coffee which happens to be the first organic and fairtrade iced coffee product on the market and is also recyclable but the company isn't just making their products recyclable.

That's why they have chosen to openly say they are focusing on:

CONSUMER CHANGE: continuing to encouraging people to bring their own cups
COMMERCIAL CHANGE: updating legislation to force coffee shops to use recyclable cups
POLITICAL CHANGE: petitioning the government to ban non-recyclable disposable cups

I think it's safe to say, I don't know anyone who wouldn't agree that these things are common sense, yet they still aren't happening. That is why Percol's drive for change is, to me, even more important, because it's coming from within the industry.

Yes, recyclable cups may not be the answer in the long term, but its a darn good place to start and I for one think raising the awareness to easy solutions that can help whilst we figure out long term answers is worth our time. So if you have a minute,

Percol have launched a petition in the UK asking the government to make big brands use eco friendly alternatives to the disposable coffee cups currently being used, and you can sign it here 

because together we can all help improve the industries that we, as consumers are part of.

On a completely separate note, their coffee is also really delicious and definitely worth a try if you're looking for a fantastic alternative to yours, I for one will be investing in some pods for my mum's nespresso machine!

Love
Erin

This isn't a sponsored post, I was gifted coffee from Percol and I wanted to spread the their campaign because iits such an important first step for cleaner coffee!