Why buying reusable cups is no way to tackle waste

Analysis: Eliminating single-use cups is a token gesture that makes us feel we are doing more than we really are, says Phoebe Weston

Keep cups and tote bags are only better for the environment if they are used to their full potential (Getty/iStockphoto)

The road to living sustainably is paved with good intentions. In a bid to distance ourselves from mountains of plastic waste, many people have invested in cotton bags, reusable coffee cups and become diligent recyclers.

However, our efforts are in vain – too many of us stash these planet-saving purchases in the back of a cupboard and forget about them (and then probably buy other ones).

A cotton tote bag would have to be used 131 times to make its “global warming potential” smaller than a plastic bag, according to an assessment by the UK Environment Agency. A reusable cup would need to be used between 20 to 100 times, according to another analysis by the International Reference Centre for the Life Cycle of Products, Processes and Services.