Godalming Extinction Rebellion member Caroline Scott writes for Godalming Nub News on the growing problem of disposable coffee cups.

The single-use takeaway coffee cup seems to epitomise much of what is wrong with 21st century living: our globalised economy, convenience culture, and a lack of care towards our home - Planet Earth.

With almost all leisure and hospitality venues currently shut, one of the few remaining popular pastimes involves getting a take-away coffee. I don't begrudge people an outing, I just wish it didn't have to involve so much waste. 2.5 billion cups are thrown away every year, and most go to landfill.

Every weekend I see streams of people, single-use cup in hand. Judging by the overflowing bins, not many people are bothering to bring a reusable cup. Even worse, when they see the bin is full, rather than think about the impact on wildlife that littering would cause, or carry the litter home, many dump their cup near the bin. I guess convenience comes before the environment.

So how did this even start? How did we get to point of wastefulness where cups are being manufactured for a use of just a few minutes?

Part of this plastic frappuccino-in-hand culture was sold via celebrities. Their sunshine-drenched shopping trips in Santa Monica apparently left them parched, but also too busy shopping to sit down. The on-the-go culture was then exported across the world. Sadly, piles of cups rotting at landfill, or forests made wasteland, exposes a much less glamorous picture.

I had really hoped that the reams of articles talking of a newfound appreciation of nature during the pandemic were true. But, I wonder, how many people wandering with a single use cup, enjoying the birdsong around them, are aware that 1 million trees a year are lost to manufacture cups (for the UK) - trees that could have otherwise provided habitat for birds?

The incredible flora and fauna of Planet Earth is already in steep decline, let's not make it any worse.

Read more on the regreentheplanet blog.

Do you have a strong opinion on something you'd like aired? Maybe you have a view on the pedestrianisation of the High Street, or cycle lanes, next week's return to school or yesterday's Budget?