Collapsible Cups for Coffee
- The Edible Science
- Oct 4, 2020
- 2 min read
Covid-19 pandemic has hit the world drastically. Lockdown has made everyone to sit at home. Even after the world is moving towards new normal, going out for a cup of coffee has become a risky task. People are concerned about sanitation of the place, social distancing, face masks, etc. but among these, one of the major concerns is the disinfection of the cutlery/cups. It’s always doubtful to use the cup at any café due to hygiene issues. Moreover, it’s not possible to rely completely on disposables also due to the excessive waste generation problem.
So should we carry our cups whenever we go out?
Is it feasible to carry a large mug of 200-300mL every time in your bag? And where to keep it after using? There is a fear of coffee dribbling over the phone or laptop in the pocket or bag.
The need of the hour is the cup, that is of small size but can hold a good amount of coffee. The collapsible cups, that have been launched a long back, can be a major solution in this COVID-19 pandemic. These cups are so flexible that you can collapse it to a small size and fit it into your pocket or purse. Since these cups come with a leak-proof lid, it prevents the remaining coffee to be spilled in your bag or pocket. It’s easy to carry every time you go out and a good solution to prevent any cross-contamination during this pandemic.
What is it made up of? Wouldn’t it be harmful if some hot beverage is filled?
One of the start-ups, HUNU, has designed such types of cups in London and received a huge funding and great response from the public. The material used for making cups is food-grade silicon whereas for the lid is of bamboo fibers and resins. These products are BPA Free and certified by USFDA standards henceforth; suitable for hot beverages. Various other start-ups have launched similar cups in the market such as Stojo, JBER, Minsk, Ecoart, etc. Different brands came with different capacity but majorty of them are in range of 250 – 300mL.
It’s easy to use these cups in our daily routine. One just needs to open the cups, fill it with tea or coffee, close the lid, and drink it. Once it’s empty, it can be pressed easily and the plug can be put on the hole (on the lid) to prevent the spillage of remaining coffee. It is easily washable and reused again many times henceforth; a sustainable option against disposable packaging options.
This video link will show the usage of these cups most easily: https://www.wearehunu.com/pages/instructions
In this pandemic where everyone is concerned about safety, collapsible cups can serve as a good option to avoid the issue of cross-contamination due to improper disinfection practices. Now, there is no need to share your cup with anyone else and no need to bother about carrying your bulky cup while going out. Whether it can be a picnic or trip or casual outing, these cups are the most sustainable option in this new normal. With great success of these cups, collapsible cutlery may be the another option which start-ups can think about.
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