No excuse for single use cups in Manchester

Reusable coffee cups with Biomaster antimicrobial technology are helping raise awareness about single use plastics and raise money for a city centre charity

In Greater Manchester, I Love MCR® teamed up with local independent coffee shops to create the #PlasticFreeFriday campaign and raise awareness of issues surrounding single-use plastic and raised over £2K for the We Love MCR Charity.

Coffee cups are one of a number of single-use plastics that are causing huge damage to the environment. It is estimated that Manchester alone uses over 350,000 disposable coffee cups every day, and the vast majority end up in landfill or incineration. By using a reusable cup, Mancunians are being urged to make the city just a little bit greener.

The I Love MCR® team gave Fress, Pot Kettle Black, Nibble NQ, Beastro, Michael’s Coffee House and Second City at GRUB over 500 recyclable coffee cups made by Biomaster partner Harfield Tableware to educate customers on the cause.

Unlike ordinary reusable coffee cups, Biomaster protected antimicrobial cups inhibit the growth of dangerous bacteria.

An independent study undertaken by Aston University shows that antimicrobial technology significantly reduces levels of harmful bacteria found on reusable coffee cups.

Biomaster protects surfaces 24/7 for the useful lifetime of the cup.

Corin Bell, lead at Plastic Free Greater Manchester said: “Going reusable is by far the most sustainable move for take-away hot drinks.

“I Love MCR®’s kind contribution of 500 reusable cups for people to purchase will help towards making a significant difference in Manchester’s single-use plastic.”

Customers were invited to bring their own reusable cup to the coffee shops if they wanted a takeaway coffee. 

Coffee lovers without their own cup had the opportunity to grab an I Love MCR® branded reusable cup in exchange for a small donation to I Love MCR®’s partner beneficiary charity the We Love MCR Charity, whose main aim is to improve the lives and life chances of the people of Manchester.

Find out more about the Harfield antimicrobial range.

*Please note that Addmaster was acquired by the Polygiene Group AB in January 2021, so all news articles prior to that date will still be branded as Addmaster.