Have we given up on the reusable coffee cup?

It was a meme-worthy moment when former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson became synonymous with disposable coffee cups.

Walking through the Conservative Party conference in 2019, one of his assistants handed Johnson a coffee cup. Moments later, a second aide snatched the cup away from him.

"No disposable cups," she murmured.

That was five years ago, when reusable coffee cups earned you a nod of approval from the barista, and single-use takeaway cups would warrant a judgy side-eye from your fellow café-goers.

Nowadays, it's commonplace to see people walking down the street with Single-Use Cups (SUCs). So, what happened?

During the pandemic, some cafés refused to accept reusable cups for fear of spreading Covid-19. The use of reusable coffee cups hasn't bounced back since.

According to Hannah Blumhardt of Takeaway Throwaways, research suggests that Kiwis send more than 295 million SUCs to landfills annually.

Even compostable cups are not as environmentally friendly as you might think.

"To be composted, they need to get to a specialised composting facility, which hardly any of them do," Blumhardt said.

Compostable cups, like conventional SUCs, also contain a plastic lining.

"Research has found that single-use coffee cups release billions of microplastics into the hot drink they hold."

So, that's the bad news.

The good news is that New Zealand is leading the way in phasing out SUCs. Aotea Great Barrier Island has been SUC-free since 2023, and Cardrona Alpine Resort was the first ski area in the world to go SUC-free in 2018.

Blumhardt added: "There are more than 50 cafés across New Zealand that are completely single-use cup-free, and that number continues to grow."

How can we get into the habit of using reusable cups?

Clinical psychologist Samuel Clack said making a habit achievable and specific is vital.

"If I say to myself, 'I'm going to remember my reusable cup on Saturday and Sunday', that's probably going to be easier to achieve than saying, 'I'm going to use my [reusable] cup more often'.

"Also, thinking about the environment and making that as easy as possible is also really helpful."

Accessibility is also important.

"Having my KeepCup in my kitchen drawer isn't as helpful as having it next to my car keys and wallet.," he said.

"Thinking about rewards... we all love rewards, and that's because what gets rewarded gets reinforced. So, for [using a] KeepCup, I might treat myself to a choccy bickie.

"The last thing to remember is why we're doing this. If we can tie our habits to what's important to us, to what we value, that's a really strong motivator," he said.

"The more we see people using reusable cups, the more likely we are to use reusable cups.

"We learn from observing, from modelling what other people do."

There are a plethora of SUC alternatives available. Many cafés have borrowing systems like Again Again, where you pay a small bond to borrow a cup and get it back upon returning it.

Biscuit cups are a delicious option, and unlike compostable coffee cups, they can be composted in your garden at home.

Take small steps, stay motivated, and don't be like Boris.