And this week’s environmental outrage is...

Never forget...

How quickly we forget. This week, we’re all vexed about the amount of plastic packaging we use, and applauding Iceland for saying they’re going to phase out the use of it on their own-brand products by 2023.

I was delighted to see some of my Tesco fruit and veg arrive loose in a brown paper bag when our delivery arrived at the weekend. First time ever, mind.

But it was only a couple of weeks ago that disposable coffee cups were the enemy of the environment, and column inches were filled discussing the potential effectiveness of a ‘Latte Levy’ of 25p per cup for these single-use villains.

I’ve got another suggestion to put forward, which you can ponder whilst you enjoy your next Taxachino. How about a priority queue? You bring your own re-useable cup along, and by waving it in the air (and maybe in the increasingly angry faces of the cup-less) you get to move up the queue until you are behind other ever-so-slightly-smug cup claspers.

Apart from the warming drink, you also get the additional warm glow of knowing you haven’t further added to the tonnes of un-recyclable waste produced by our frothy coffee obsession. Plus, because human nature is a complicated thing, you get to feel superior to other people.

Are you listening, Costa, Starbucks and the other coffee giants? I’ll accept a year’s supply of cappuccino (dash of chocolate sprinkles and one sugar, thanks) as reward for my unbridled genius. And maybe some shortbread.

Warning: I wouldn’t recommend trying this until it has been officially introduced, or you may need the cup to carry your front teeth home in.

This post first appeared as the third piece in my column/page in The Mail and the News & Star, on the 19th of January 2018.

Although light-hearted in intent, I do actually think this could work...

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