Drinks & snacks
Takeaway coffee cups → reusable steel cup
Paper cups are lined with plastic and topped with a plastic lid, and they hold drinks at 80°C or more.
Swap Priority
64/100
High priority
Swap Priority 64 out of 100: High priority- Plastic avoided
- ≈ 500 g a year
- Typical cost
- £12 – £30
- Swap from
- Disposable takeaway coffee cups
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
How strong is the evidence?
How the dials work- Exposure evidenceHow strong is the evidence that the plastic version exposes you to microplastics or plastic chemicals?
- Emerging · 2/4
- Environmental evidenceHow strong is the evidence that this swap cuts environmental harm over the product's whole life?
- Moderate · 3/4
- Claim verificationHow well has the alternative's plastic-free claim been verified?
- No product yet
Why swap
Disposable cups are polyethylene-lined and hold very hot drinks. Very few are recycled. Many cafés give a discount for your own cup.
What to look for
- Stainless steel cup, ideally with a steel or no lid
- A size that fits your usual order
Watch out for
- Bamboo-fibre cups are melamine composites — avoid for hot drinks
- Most reusable cups have silicone or plastic lids
Evidence and sources
More swaps in drinks & snacks
Drinks & snacks84/100Swap Priority 84 out of 100: Swap first
Bottled water → tap water in a steel bottle
Bottled water carries hundreds of thousands of plastic particles per litre. UK tap water is cheap and safe.
Swap first · about 3.0 kg of plastic a year
Drinks & snacks69/100Swap Priority 69 out of 100: High priority
Plastic tea bags → loose-leaf or plastic-free bags
Many tea bags are sealed with polypropylene or made of plastic mesh. Hot water plus plastic, several times a day; how much reaches your cup is still debated.
High priority · about 120 g of plastic a year
Drinks & snacks68/100Swap Priority 68 out of 100: High priority
Plastic coffee pods → cafetière or moka pot
One pod a day is over a kilo of hard-to-recycle packaging a year, and hot pressurised water runs through plastic.
High priority · about 1.0 kg of plastic a year