AN ENVIRONMENTAL group which recently gained national attention for its reusable cups campaign has said it is encouraging ‘plastic swaps’ wherever possible - including to tackle the rising issue of disposable face masks. Sustainable Overton captured the attention of green campaigners across the country after it launched its Overton Cup initiative, which allows residents to ‘rent’ a reusable cup for just £1, and return it to a coffee shop in the area. However, the group doesn’t plan to stop there, with numerous initiatives in the pipeline, including plans to adapt the same idea to reusable shopping bags. Throughout the pandemic, the environmental impact of disposable PPE has been concerning to environmentalists, with a survey conducted by Basingstoke-based company TradeWasteUk in November 2020 concluding that 58.8m face masks are being used daily in the UK, with 10 per cent reused and 90 per cent discarded, and 53.3m face masks sent to landfill each day. This inc
AN ENVIRONMENTAL group which recently gained national attention for its reusable cups campaign has said it is encouraging ‘plastic swaps’ wherever possible - including to tackle the rising issue of disposable face masks. Sustainable Overton captured the attention of green campaigners across the country after it launched its Overton Cup initiative, which allows residents to ‘rent’ a reusable cup for just £1, and return it to a coffee shop in the area. However, the group doesn’t plan to stop there, with numerous initiatives in the pipeline, including plans to adapt the same idea to reusable shopping bags. Throughout the pandemic, the environmental impact of disposable PPE has been concerning to environmentalists, with a survey conducted by Basingstoke-based company TradeWasteUK in November 2020 concluding that 58.8m face masks are being used daily in the UK, with 10 per cent reused and 90 per cent discarded, and 53.3m face masks sent to landfill each day.
Last modified on Thu 20 May 2021 11.01 EDT
A Hampshire village has launched a scheme to replace all disposable cups in their village with a reusable mug that will be free for users with a simple £1 deposit.
The Overton cup will be available in all the shops and cafes along Overton’s high street, including the greengrocer, “who does a lovely soup from his leftover vegetables”, according to Alison Zarecky, chair of Sustainable Overton. Customers pay their deposit (plus another £1 if they want a lid, which are non-returnable) and then return the cup once it’s been used to any deposit point in the village.