Introduction
Have you ever been to a coffee shop and ordered an iced coffee but didn’t bring your cup? I know it’s happened to me more than once! Like me, you’ve also left the coffee shop without your reusable cup. Maybe they ran out of cups or wouldn’t let you bring one.
Either way, it’s a bummer. But why should we even care about bringing our mugs?
The truth is that bringing your cup can help save money while reducing waste and making you feel good! Whether you want to save money or reduce waste, there are many reasons why using a reusable coffee cup is better than using a disposable one.
Why should you bring your own cup?
There are a lot of reasons why you should bring your own cup. Here are just a few:
- It’s good for the environment – This is probably the most obvious one because it’s what we often hear, but bringing your own cup also reduces packaging waste, saving trees and other materials from being used.
- It’s good for your wallet – Drinking coffee from a reusable mug instead of buying disposable cups means more money in your pocket at the end of every month!
- It’s suitable for the coffee shop – When customers bring their own mugs, it saves them money on disposable cups, which means they can keep prices lower or even offer discounts if they feel generous!
- It’s suitable for baristas – They have to clean up after customers who don’t bring their own mugs, which takes time away from making delicious drinks or talking with other customers while working at their jobs.
- It’s good for your healthy – A reusable mug is an excellent way to reduce single-use plastic and paper waste at home, work, or school. It’s also more beneficial because it won’t leach chemicals into beverages as some disposable mugs do. This can include BPA (Bisphenol A) in plastic cups or bleached paper with dyes that may irritate sensitive skin tissues.
- It’s suitable for the store owner – When customers bring their own mugs, the coffee shop owner can reduce or eliminate paper cup waste which is expensive to dispose of properly. This helps them save on overhead costs so they can pass those savings on to you!
In conclusion, using reusable cups can save money, help protect our environment and even reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills.
What can you do with your own cup?
When you have your own cups, you can use them for juice, wine, or champagne. You can even use it for drinking water from the tap if you want! The world is your oyster – if it fits inside one of our awesome cups!
Here are some of the things you can do with your cup:
- Use it for coffee. The best part about bringing your own cup is you can use it for coffee, and it’s reusable!
- Use it for tea. And not just any tea—I’m talking about loose-leaf premium teas like Earl Grey and Jasmine Dragon Pearls here.
- Use it for water. So many places offer bottled water that has been getting warm all day. And if you’re worried about tap water quality, remember that all water can be filtered, so there’s no need to waste resources on bottled beverages.
- Use it for smoothies. You’d be surprised how much better a drink tastes when it’s freshly made instead of sitting in a blender with ice and other ingredients for hours.
- Smoothies and juices—if you’re a fan of drinking juice or smoothies out of styrofoam cups, you’ll probably want to invest in bringing your own reusable cup.
- Cocktails—many restaurants have begun offering cocktails on tap. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy trying, bring your cup! You can refill it as much as you like from the tap without wasting it.
- Beer—if there’s one type of beverage perfect for bringing home with you after dinner or with friends, it’s beer! All you need is their container before heading home after an enjoyable evening out together with friends;
Bring your own cup and order a beer when you go out for drinks. If you order something like whiskey or champagne, ensure that before pouring yourself one to sip on that, you wash out your reusable cup first because those high-ABV drinks can leave an unpleasant aftertaste if not appropriately cleaned beforehand.
What type of cup should you bring on your own?
There are a lot of choices when it comes to reusable cups. While they may seem the same, several varieties could be better for you. Consider these suggestions:
- Avoid paper cups, as they are not meant to last and can easily be torn or ripped by sharp objects. If you must use one, make sure you’re careful with it.
- Avoid glass cups since they’re also very fragile and can’t tolerate much force or pressure. They can also be broken if accidentally dropped onto hard surfaces like concrete or tiles—even more so if dropped into water!
- Avoid plastic cups (especially those made from polystyrene foam), as they leach toxic chemicals into your drink over time and aren’t recyclable once used once or twice.
Regarding bringing your own cup, there are two main options: reusable coffee cups or insulated Smart water bottles.
Reusable Coffee Cups
There are many reusable cups on the market, and they come in different materials. You can purchase a stainless steel insulated water bottle or a bamboo cup, depending on your needs.
- A thermos is ideal if you want something to keep your coffee hot and handy.
- If you want something more like your average cup, stainless steel is probably best for you since it has more style than other reusable cups that look less appealing than traditional disposable cups (e.g., glass).
It would help to consider how often you plan to use the reusable mug. If it will only be used occasionally, then there’s no need to invest in an expensive option like ceramic or glass mugs—plastic ones will do just fine!
Insulated Smart Water Bottles
The best cup to bring with you is an insulated Smart water bottle. This bottle will keep drinks hot or cold all day, has a leak-proof lid that prevents spills, and comes in many different colors/sizes! Two significant companies make these bottles: Hidrate Spark® and Klean Kanteen ®.
The Hidrate Spark smart water bottle is my favorite; it tracks and reminds you to drink water throughout the day. This will help keep your body from dehydrating, which can cause headaches and fatigue.
What is the best cup for your own bring?
The best cup for your own bring needs to have the following features:
- Refillable. If you want to get your money’s worth, bring a cup that is easy to refill. You don’t want to spend the whole day at the park having to wash and dry your mug whenever you need more coffee or tea.
- Durable. Bring a cup that can survive being dropped, stepped on, etc. You might not be able to control how often it gets knocked over while in use (accidents happen), but at least make sure there won’t be any leaks due to cracks or other damages caused by mishandling over time!
- Fun Designs & Colors: Do we need another reason why this is important? No thanks! So make yours stand out from the crowd by picking out something fun.
- Lid For Spills: Yup! Because no matter how careful everyone tries to be, accidents happen when people aren’t paying attention enough…so make sure nothing is leaking everywhere. Plus, if someone accidentally drops theirs off somewhere else by accident. So maybe adding some lid would solve both problems.
- Easy to find. You don’t want to be searching for your cup when you’re parched and on the go, so make sure it’s in an area that’s easy to access.
- Easy to carry. You don’t want a big, bulky cup you can only get one hand to hold. Instead, pick out a light and compact vessel with enough space for your drink but not so much room that it’s hard to maneuver or hold onto while you’re on the go.
- Easy to clean. However, this may seem like an obvious point. Look for cups with smooth surfaces that won’t accumulate gunk quickly—even better if they’re dishwasher-safe!
- Easy to drink from. If you’re bringing a cup that doesn’t have a lid, ensure it fits into your bag easily and securely. Don’t bring one with handles or other parts that could break off.
- Finally, ensure whatever cup you choose fits in your car’s cup holder!
How to start building and keep bringing your own cup habit?
Bringing your cup’s not always easy, but keeping the habit is essential. Here are some tips to help you make it a part of your life:
You must first understand why it’s so important to start bringing your own cup.
- Understand why you need to bring your own cup. When you start bringing your own cup, everyone will think, “Why do they have one?” and ask what makes this so unique compared to regular cups that we can buy in supermarkets at any time? If everyone brings their own cups rather than disposable ones, less waste will be produced worldwide!
- Find yourself a suitable reusable cup. Some people like having something simple and inexpensive, like a glass water bottle; others prefer something with more character, like an unusual mug or even an oversized wine goblet! The choice is yours! Just make sure whatever vessel you choose has been properly FOR YOU.
- Ensure you have a good lid to protect the drink from spilling out and keep the liquid inside fresh!
- Personalize YOUR OWN CUP; it can be anything important to you or represents your personality: a picture of your favorite superhero or a flower pattern on the cup. It’s up to you! Just make sure not everyone has the same one.
- Give yourself reminders throughout the day about how important it is to bring along your own cup whenever possible — whether through phone reminders or simply leaving one at home as a blatant reminder when getting ready in the morning.
- Bring it with you wherever you go, even if it’s just for water in the office at lunchtime – that way, when someone offers to buy YOU A DRINK sometime, YOU CAN SAY, “NO THANKS BUT I HAVE MY OWN CYLINDER THING HERE.”
- Make sure that it’s always clean & sanitized for every use possible (make sure not only when washing by hand but also when putting it in a dishwasher), and everyone around knows about this new habit too!
- Find more funny and delicious drinks for yourself in your cup! You might find that there are more ways than one to make great-tasting coffee or tea.
Fun Activities For Using a Reusable Coffee Cup
When you have your cup and bring it with you every day, you will find there are more activities you can do:
- Bring your own cup to the gym. If you’re an avid gym-goer, you know how long it takes to get a drink and ensure it stays cold. Save yourself some time by bringing your own cup!
- Bring your own cup to the movie theater. It’s easy to spend $15 at the concession stand before you even get into the theater, but if you bring your beverage in a reusable container (and skip on those overpriced treats), everyone wins!
- Bring your own cup to the park. When playing catch with friends or just having a picnic in a local park, why not use something other than Styrofoam? Bringing along something watertight and sturdy will help keep food fresh and drinks cold while providing entertainment for all ages!
- Bring your own cup to the beach/pool – It sounds common sense, but many people don’t realize that plastic pollution isn’t just limited to land masses; we’ve got quite an ocean mess on our hands too!
- Bring your own cup to work. If you commute or have an office job, don’t forget to bring your own cup with you! You’ll never again have an excuse for not staying hydrated at work because it’s so convenient.
- Bring your own cup to the museum – There’s nothing like strolling through an art museum or history museum, but what if you could do it all while sipping on some refreshing iced coffee?
Tips for Remembering to Bring Your Own Cup
- Keep your cup in a place that will be easy to remember. If you want to save money and reduce waste, it’s essential to keep your cup where you will see it and remember to take it with you.
- Keep your cup somewhere near where you keep your keys, wallet, or purse. For example, if all of these items are on a hook next to the door when you come home from work or school, consider keeping your travel mug there too!
- Keeping an extra cup in a prominent place like your car, desk at work or school, or even on the refrigerator is also good. Just make sure that it’s clean and sanitary before you use it.
Conclusion
You don’t have to be a hardcore environmentalist to see the benefits of bringing your own cup, but you must ensure you’re using it correctly. The biggest mistake people make is using disposable cups over reusable ones because they think they’re saving money or don’t know any better.
However, these cups are bad for our environment and wallets—not to mention how gross they can get if you don’t wash them regularly! If this sounds like something that concerns you, we encourage everyone who reads this blog post today (as well as their family and friends) to start trying to change their habits tomorrow!
