Keep using your cup - Just wash it

In light of several moronic news articles and blogs claiming that reusable cups will spread COVID-19; most of which are clearly designed to scaremonger the pants off those more eco-conscious, along with news that several coffee chains will no longer serve drinks in a reusable cup, we have decided to address this issue. Starbucks ‘will still honour they 25p discount’ but they’re clearly missing the point of reusable cups in the first place.

COMMON SENSE

Whilst we have consulted medical professionals before charging in and criticising the aforementioned morons, it should be assumed that this blog is not medical advice and solely states the opinions, that are based on common sense, of some members of the OneLessCup team and community.

Our non-medically sort advice is simple - use your reusable cup as usual, just make sure you wash it. Sometimes we leave our cup in our bag all day; we know it’s disgusting, but we do it. Let’s make a conscious effort to wash our cup after we’ve used it - maybe even sing ‘Happy Birthday’ whilst you wash it.

The point being, if a barista fills your own container with coffee rather than a single-use cup it really isn’t that different. You’re not using single-use cups when you make your coffee at home, nor are you refusing porcelain cups that have been used by hundreds of people when you have time for a sit-in coffee.

WASH YOUR CUP

We spoke with an NHS Doctor, who would rather not be named for legal purposes, who stated the following when asked if banning the use of reusable cups would prevent the spread of the virus - ‘I don’t really understand the logic on that - a reusable cup is generally just used by one person - the owner of it’. When asked if people should stop using reusable cups, Public Health England said its "message is clear" - that "simple hand-washing with soap for 20 seconds" was the most effective way to stop the spread of the virus.

You should have been regularly been washing your cup before but if you haven’t been, you should most certainly be washing it now. Make sure you wash out the cup itself and wash both the outer and inner areas around the whole lid with warm water and soap. Many of our cup users have been ordering coffees to sit in and pouring them into their reusable cup - whilst this isn’t encouraged it seems to be an intelligent way of steering around this madness (just don’t burn yourself!).