Northern beaches: Up to 20 million takeaway coffee cups thrown away every year

On Sydney’s northern beaches it is estimated that up to 20 million takeaway coffee cups end up in landfill every year. But the problem is not an easy one to resolve.

Shock messaging could be put on bins around the northern beaches after it was revealed that residents get through an astonishing 20 million takeaway coffee cups a year, with most ending up in landfill.

The issue was discussed at a council meeting on Tuesday, with councillors calling for an audit of public bins to get a better idea of what is being thrown away and suggestions of better messaging to encourage people to change their behaviour and recycle more.

Cr Natalie Warren said the latest information she had received was that around 60,000 people buy a takeaway coffee on the peninsula every day.

“We received some information today that suggested that between 15 and 20 million coffee cups end up in landfill every year just from the northern beaches, which is horrifying,” she said.

Around 60,000 people buy a takeaway coffee on the northern beaches every day.

“We need to be reducing consumption at source and encouraging reusable cups.”

She said she understood that reusable coffee cups had not been an option for much of the pandemic for health reasons, but needed to be encouraged as restrictions eased.

She added that the same needed to be done for disposable cutlery, plastic straws, takeaway containers and other items such as the soy sauce sachets.

Cr Kylie Ferguson suggested shock tactics might work.

She said even simple things like changing the word on the bins from ‘rubbish’ to ‘landfill’ was a good way of making people think about their choices.

She added that people’s behaviour in regards to rubbish recently had been “appalling” despite extra bins being provided.

Other campaigns have helped change people’s behaviour. Picture: NSW Government/YouTube

Huge piles of rubbish have been left at popular outdoor beauty spots such as East Esplanade and Freshwater.

Meanwhile, a council report found that recycling takeaway cups was particularly difficult due to the range of different materials used to make them, including wood/paper, materials lined with polymer waterproof linings and plastic lids.

Staff looked at two collection services for recycling coffee cups, Simply Cups and Detpak with RecycleMeTM.

It found that a Simply Cups station placed at five locations for three months, would cost more than $35,000, but could save up to 189,000 cups from landfill.

The cost to the council would be about $0.19 for every cup diverted from landfill.

Don't Be A Tosser

The cost of recycling each cup would be higher than the cost of purchase of a cup by a business, which is typically $0.15 for a disposable coffee cup and lid.

With RecycleMeTM cups, Detpak advised that the paper in the cups can be recycled up to seven times before the fibres are too short for further recycling.

However, the plastic lining is not recycled through their process, and is sent elsewhere for handling.

The council report stated it is not clear if there is a recycling option yet for the cup lids, so lids may still end up in landfill.

Councillors expressed concern about the general behaviour of people on the northern beaches in regards to dealing with rubbish. Picture: Supplied

Such is the popularity of takeaway coffees, the council found that if placed outside a busy cafe selling 3,000 coffees per week, the collection unit would need to be emptied up to three times per day and nearby bins, to store cups until collection, could require emptying up to three times per week.

Other options includes reinvigorating the council’s “Swap and Go” coffee cup program to provide an additional 848 swap cups to the business community.

The system works with the customer buying a cup and then returning it to a participating cafe to wash and picking up a clean one when ordering a coffee.

There are also some takeaway cups that are better for the environment than others.

Chris Hayward has opened Veda, an organic fairtrade coffee shop, cafe and grocer on Lawrence St, Freshwater. He is holding a recyclable coffee cup made with sugar cane plant pulp. Picture Julie Cross

Chris Hayward, runs Veda, an organic fair trade coffee shop and grocer in Freshwater.

He said he had worked for big hospitality companies but was disgusted at the food and water waste and the quality of the ingredients.

His business has a strong ethical stance, his takeaway coffee cups are made from sugar cane plant pulp and can be put in the compost or recycled.

“I’d rather have a lower profit margin by having recyclable coffee cups than not,” he said.

“Businesses have a duty of care, a responsibility not to use plastic just because it is cheaper.”

Cr Candy Bingham who first brought the issue to the council’s attention called for a review of litter bins and for staff to undertake a report for the next council to review.