Earlier in the year, something caught my attention. I can’t remember exactly what it was – a blog, a news article or a vlog. In fact it could have been any of a combination of these. What I do recall, is a feeling of responsibility creeping up on me about the choices we make in our little household and the impact those choices have on the world, both in a positive and a negative manner. I wanted to know more.

Due to personal circumstances I can only ever be a ‘tortoise ‘ and not a ‘hare’  when approaching these things but slowly I investigated topics such as single use plastics and their impact on our marine life. I also discovered that despite being a ‘tortoise ‘ I could make a difference,  as every little counts. I was later to be further inspired by the book ‘No More Plastic ‘ by Martin Dorey but that is months down the line from this tale. You can read my review here. So for now we’ll carry on…

By this time it was approaching Easter and I had the idea of buying my husband something more useful than a.chocolate egg. On checking out his habits – he consumes a takeaway coffee on average five times per week. Allowing for annual leave, that is approximately 240 takeaway coffee cups heading for landfill, from our household alone. Most takeaway cups cannot currently be recycled due to the coating inside the cup, although there are some new schemes being implemented gradually. I sat and imagined 240 cups piled up – what a good place to start for the family. I had an idea for a useful gift a reusable cup!

After a bit more research on the best cup to go for I settled on the Keep Cup Doppio 12oz /340ml in black with a soft charcoal band (as pictured above).This is the medium sized cup and is priced at £11 plus p&p. The cups are BPS and BPA free and can go on the top shelf in the dishwasher. There is also a facility to design your own cup colourway. I chose the black and grey as my husband has a job which can be a quite dirty so I wanted something which would stand up to that. In hindsight, I should have chosen  the 16oz/454ml cup for £1 extra just to give him the option to go large on longer journeys. If you want to look at their website the link is here. I have no affiliation with the company, I simply want to share the experience of our purchase. My husband is really happy with his gift as he says it keeps his cuppa warmer for longer and in some outlets he is eligible for a discount when using his own cup. Surprisingly to me he has grown attached to it, uses it all the time and hasn’t lost it!  As he is on the road a lot and also carries a flask, he has found that the Keep Cup is so much better than the flask cup in terms of keeping the drink warm and being easy to balance, so an added bonus there too.

That was the first change we made in reducing the family’s consumption of single use plastic. It has worked, is continuing to do so and has positive benefits for my husband so there is no reason to change. In terms of cost, because I bought  him the cup as a gift for Easter it reduced the outlay – although it was more expensive than an Easter Egg.

I’ll let you know what change we tried in May soon!

Are you a tortoise or a hare – are you completely zero waste or setting off slowly? I’d love to know and learn your tips.

Much love xxxx