All single-use cups removed from university

Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, (R) said "change can be difficult" but students have risen to the challenge

A university is removing all single-use cups from its campuses following a pilot scheme which "saved 4,500 disposable cups from landfill".

Last year, Bath Spa University (BSU) teamed up with Bristol-based environmental charity, City to Sea, to offer people a variety of sustainable options for their drinks.

Under the scheme, people who do not have a reusable cup can borrow one via the charity's Refill app.

Jane Martin, the charity's CEO, said she expected other universities to follow suit.

The charity's spokesperson previously said: "Single-use coffee cups are not just an ugly blight on our beautiful countryside but also break down into microplastics.

"Even cups that look and feel like paper can have a plastic lining which breaks down causing harm to wildlife and entering our food system."

City to Sea created the Refill Return Cups, which can also be borrowed in cafes across Bristol

According to the charity, 3.2 billion single-use cups are thrown away every year in the UK - a figure which prompted its Refill Return Cup scheme and app.

Customers using the app show a QR code at the till to get their drink served in a returnable takeaway cup. Once finished, the cup can be returned into a box so it can be cleaned and reused.

Jo Stocks, the university's chair of sustainability steering group, said they are "committed" to protecting the planet.

"What we've achieved in the last year with City to Sea, and continue to do, is bringing us one step closer to our goal," she added.

University leaders said 4,500 cups were saved from landfill during the pilot and they now plan to permanently remove single-use cups from their buildings.

What is the impact of plastic pollution?

There are more than five trillion pieces of plastic in our oceans. This plastic ends up in the food chain as animals mistake plastic for food. Animals also get trapped in our plastic pollution.

Over time, plastic waste slowly degrades and breaks down into tiny micro-fragments, which are also causing scientists concern.

And the way that plastic is created has harmful effects as well, as it involves the burning of fossil fuels.