Reusable Cups: Starting a Sustainable Habit

I read a statistic that less than 2% of people bring their own cup to a Starbucks. It’s funny to me how we will bring a tote bag to the grocery store, but so mindlessly toss a disposable coffee cup. Since people are not penalized for throwing away reusable cups (as in, there’s no charge per cup), it makes it easy to use a disposable. Rather, in Los Angeles grocery stores now charge people if they want a plastic bag, which has significantly reduced the use of plastic bags. Human behavior shows that people are likely to bring a reusable to avoid a penalty (even if it’s just 10 cents) rather than for environment reasons alone.

I’ll be honest, I still forget to use mine–especially during spontaneous outings. But, I have gotten better at implementing the habit with some easy tips!

Using a reusable cup is one of the simplest habits you can implement in your life.

For one, it doesn’t disrupt your current life too much. The inconveniences are:

1. It’s something to carry with you
2. It’s something you have to rinse out

Advantages of using a reusable cup:

1. Saves money (tap is free, bottled is 10,000xs more!)
2. Lowers likelihood of spontaneous purchases
3. Strangely satisfying drinking out of a favorite reusable cup
4. Humbly outreaches to friends and strangers to be eco too
5. Saves a dime at select coffee shops

I’m all about being sustainable, but I’m also a girl of convenience. And hey, I get it – sometimes you’ll need to buy a water bottle and that’s okay! But for the other 90% of the time, let’s get in formation to create as little waste as possible.

Here are my 5 super quick tips for using a reusable:

1. Have more than one
2. Rinse immediately After Use
3. Keep One in the Car
4. Pick One that will Last
5. Coin the phase: Keys – Phone – Wallet – Reusable 😉

What’s your take on resuables? What are your tips in remembering to use one? x