Coffee shop Christmas disposable cups - why i don't use them

Yes I love Christmas and all things Christmas related and I love coffee shops. But what I don't love is the disposable cups designed for takeaway drinks.

I use my own coffee cup for take aways, regardless of the coffee shop I use.

Most chains have a Christmas reusable cup out now, but I don't need to buy a new one, the one I have is perfectly adequate.

I have an issue with coffee shops in Dubai regardless of the chain. Every time I request a coffee to drink in, they automatically reach for a disposable cup.

This was obviously drunk here by a previous customer.

I've learnt to place my order as follows (size) (type of drink) and automatically add 'in a ceramic mug and don't warm it'

In the UK I always get asked 'to drink in or take away' but Dubai doesn't work like that. I think it saves on the staff having to wash up as it's easier to scoop disposable cups up and put them in the bin.

I stop regularly at the local petrol station for a latte, using my own cup. I often pick up a banana at the same time.

Whilst I ordered my coffee, asked for a banana, went to the counter and paid, then back to collect my coffee, this had happened.

Not only was my banana in a plastic bag, it was then placed in a plastic bag.

Sometimes I just give up.........

Going Green in Australia.

They call these Bin Chickens, they scavenge through the bins in Sydney. The Australian White Ibis.

Living overseas and travelling regularly to new places, I'm always interested in how things work in different countries.

There are quite a lot of similarities in Australia with the UK and Dubai and a lot of differences also.

In the UK and Australia you pay for plastic bags, in Dubai, they just bag everything up for you.

McDonalds in the UK have banned plastic straws, they're freely available in Dubai and Australia.

Most coffee shops here offer a 50c discount if you bring your own take away cup, this doesn't happen in Dubai and I think nearly every coffee shop offers a discount in the UK. A couple of coffee shops in Australia have signs stating the cup must been clean for them to fill it and in one place there was a charge of $2 to wash your cup.

I've noticed a few places offering recyclable cutlery and most places the tap water is not for drinking, so there are water fountains available to refill drinks bottles. We can't work out if the signs were to say you need a minimum of 1 litre per person for the hike or only refill 1 litre of water.

However despite drinking water being freely available and visible signs encouraging you to recycle, there were a lot of people walking around with shop bought bottles of water. In Australia in a restaurant or cafe, you are given tap water automatically. In the UK you have to ask for tap water, in Dubai they only serve bottled water.

I noticed sun composting bins in Sydney and Melbourne.

There were  bins everywhere from Bondi Beach below

to a light house at Cape Otway

and in every car park we parked in.

And if you can't find a bin, then you're reminded just to take your rubbish home.

A long weekend in Sydney

Our trip from Sydney to Phillips Island

Phillips Island

Phillips Island to Port Fairy

Port Fairy to Melbourne via the Grampians

A week in Melbourne

Flora and Fauna in Australia

Accommodation in Australia

Going Green in Australia

Australia 2019

Using up the plastic in our house

A while ago I purchased paper straws, food nets for when I was shopping and reusable coffee cups and drinking bottles. I've had a collection of Tupperware for quite a few years, that we for storing left overs, freezing batch cooked food and storage of smaller items.

All the above I've been using religiously as well as my own shopping bags and doing my bit where ever I can to reduce the amount of plastic waste in our home, which does involve changing some of the items I used to buy as there was too much packaging on them. Buying loose rather than multi pack even if it does cost more, which is often false economy anyway.

This weekend I had a tidy of the kitchen and discovered I had loads of plastic shoved in the back of drawers that I no longer had use for, but what to do with it all. Throwing away defeats the whole point of reducing plastic waste so I've decided to put it to use and just use it all up. I will however dispose of it where possible correcting, straws I will put through the shredder first so they can't endanger wildlife in the sea should they end up there. The zip lock bags will be used to store none perishable items, such as craft and hobby items.

I'm looking to purchase the reusable cling wrap next time I'm in the UK.

I'm going to replace our metal bathroom bins with recycled bins that can be emptied then washed and sterilised to save on the use of bags for lining and the old bins will be used as containers for plants in the garden.

I've been buying bulk and bagged products of hand wash, washing detergent, washing up liquids, shampoo, conditioner and show gels and decanting to smaller bottles I already own, for a while now.

I try to buy ethically sourced products and actively avoided peanut butter made from palm oil when I made the dogs treat biscuits rather than buying the foil wrapped ones I was purchasing weekly.

I'm doing my best here, I really am. Every little really does help.

Going Green in Dubai at Al Khazan Solar Park

The first solar powered and environmentally friendly park in Dubai was opened in 2015.

Located opposite City Walk, it's location means the solar panels receive sunlight, with no shadow throughout the year.

It operates 100% on solar energy.

This project is inline with Dubai's vision for 2010 to reduce energy consumption by 30%

The Park was built in 1980 and the water tower is a landmark in the area. 

Parking is on near by streets and can be reached by a short walk from a bus stop.

Children's play area.

Plenty of open space to picnic and some shady spots under the trees.

Solar panels, opposite City Walk.

Cafe

Book shop