BBC Learnings · Section 10

Does recycling coffee cups make a difference

Now Rob, we've talked before on this programme about our love of coffee. Oh yes,

Level: B1 · 128 sentences

Transcript

Now Rob, we've talked before on this programme
about our love of coffee. Oh yes,
indeed. I couldn't function without it.
But have you ever thought about the environmental consequences
of all those disposable coffee cups?
Oh yes, indeed.
I always carry a reusable cup with me
so I don't have to throw one away.
So if a disposable cup is one you throw away,
a reusable one is one that you can use again and again.
Yes, there's a big problem with disposable cups
in that many of them can't be recycled,
so there's a lot of waste
for something we only use for a short time.
What are the big coffee shop chains doing about this problem?
We'll find out a little bit more shortly,
but first a quiz for you.
Which country drinks the most coffee per capita?
So not the total amount of coffee, but the average per person.
Is it a Japan, b Kenya or c Finland?
What do you think, Rob? Oh, tricky.
I don't think the Japanese are big coffee drinkers
and I know they produce a lot of coffee in Kenya.
I'm surprised the USA isn't on the list
but I'm going to go for Finland, just because.
Well, we'll see if you're right later in the programme.
On a recent BBC You and Yours radio programme
they discussed the topic of coffee cups.
Some of the big chains are now
charging customers more for a disposable cup
and giving discounts if people bring their own reusable.
However, not all of the shops actually collect old cups
and sort them for recycling in the shop itself.
Here's Jasra Bardia from Starbucks.
Is the store only interested in facilities inside their shops?
It is something that we are in the process of rolling out
and it will be in all of our stores.
It's also not just our stores
in which these cups end up.
So we're doing a lot of work outside
of our store environment to ensure that paper cups
can be recycled on the go.
We're working with our environmental charity partner Hubbub to increase
recycling infrastructure outside of our stores.
that too is where a lot
of our cups will end up.
So, are they just working in their stores at improving recycling?
Well, no. After all, most people take
their coffee out of the stores,
so they're working on the recycling infrastructure outside as well.
This will be things like bins and collection points,
which are clearly marked for coffee cups.
And what about enabling recycling cups in store?
Well, she said that was something
they are rolling out to all stores.
Rolling out here means introducing over a period of time.
So it's starting to happen, but it's not finished yet.
Let's listen again.
It is something that we are in the process of rolling out
and it will be in all of our stores.
It's also not just our stores
in which these cups end up.
So we're doing a lot of work outside
of our store environment to ensure that paper cups
can be recycled on the go.
We're working with our environmental charity partner, Hubbub,
to increase recycling infrastructure outside of our stores.
that too is where a lot
of our cups will end up.
Not everyone, however, believes that the coffee chains
are doing everything that they can.
This is Mary Cray, a member of the British Parliament.
She compares the situation to that of the plastic bag charge.
This was a law brought in to force shops to charge customers
for plastic bags, which previously had been free.
If you think you're having to pay extra for something,
as we saw with the plastic bags,
we think a similar psychological measure is needed, a nudge measure,
to encourage people to remember to bring their reusable cup with them.
And of course, this is something that the coffee
shops have been fighting tooth and nail.
She thinks that we consumers need a nudge
to help us remember our reusable cups.
Yes, we need a nudge, which is a little push, a reason.
In this case, she is thinking
of a law to make them charge more.
But she says the coffee chains really don't want this.
They are, she says, fighting it tooth and nail.
If you fight something tooth and nail,
you're against it completely and try to stop it.
Let's hear MP Mary Cray again.
If you think you're having to pay extra for something,
as we saw with the plastic bags,
we think a similar psychological measure is needed, a nudge measure,
to encourage people to remember to bring their reusable cup with them.
And of course, this is something that the coffee
shops have been fighting tooth and nail.
Time to review our vocabulary, but first
let's have the answer to the quiz question.
Which country drinks the most coffee per capita?
Is it… a Japan, b Kenya or c Finland?
What do you think, Rob?
I took a bit of a guess at Finland.
Well, congratulations, your guess was correct.
The Finns on average get through an amazing 12
kilograms of coffee a year each.
Now on to the vocabulary.
We had a couple of related but opposite words.
Something disposable is designed to be used once
or a few times and then thrown away.
And a reusable is designed to be used again and again.
We then had rolling out, which in a business
sense is the process of gradually introducing something new.
This could be a new system, new product,
new technology or even a new way of doing things.
New ideas often need new infrastructure.
This is usually physical structures that are needed to make something work.
For example, rail infrastructure includes things like tracks, stations and signals.
A nudge is a small push
to encourage us to do something.
You don't need a nudge to carry
a reusable coffee cup, do you?
Oh no, I'm all for it.
In fact, I'd fight tooth and nail
to keep hold of my reusable.
Which is quite a coincidence, as that was our last expression today.
To fight tooth and nail means to make a strong effort
to try to stop something or achieve something.