Nature Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany and Ceramic Cups

Deutsche Umwelthilfe: Coffee-to-go cups - some made from plastic, others made from plastic-paper composites - usually ended up being incinerated in municipal plants, instead of being shredded as recyclable material as many people thought, it said, according to Deutsche Welle. DUH call has the backing of several other lobby groups, including the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany and an initiative called "Carry your Cup." The tax proposal was promptly rejected, however, by The German Coffee Federation. Of the billions of cups sold each year in cafes and bakeries, each was used for only 15 minutes on average, Deutsche Umwelthilfe said. It claimed that if consumers refilled multi-use mugs then this would lead to "hygiene problems." Germs would accumulate around coffee dispensers, it said. Slower pace His organization also encouraged consumers to simply relax and take more time to drink their coffee at cafes and bakeries from ceramic cups, or, at least, to drink a quick Espresso. Proponents say its better to simply slow down and enjoy DUH executive director Jürgen Resch said this was not an unsolvable problem. "Half of Bundesliga stadiums now have refillable cups, for hot drinks as well," he said. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.