Put down that latte! A new initiative is tackling the issue of disposable coffee cup recycling in the Square Mile.

Every day approximately seven million coffee cups are thrown away across the UK, with less than 1% of these cups thought to be recycled. With the environment a more pressing issue than ever before, that clearly isn’t good enough. Seeing as it holds the UK’s biggest concentration of office workers, a large number of whom knock back the black stuff on a daily basis, the Square Mile seems a good place to start the fightback.

In April, Simply Cups and Hubbub are launching the Square Mile Challenge to recover 500,000 cups within the City and recycle them into new products. The former coffee cups will become everything from pencils to park benches, which will be donated to local community projects and schools.

As well as the considerable benefit of saving the planet, further incentives are on offer. The first 30 businesses with over 500 employees to sign up to the Square Mile Challenge will receive a year’s free membership to collection services provided by Simply Cups. All other businesses involved can take advantage of discounted rates for collections.

Let’s try and keep our planet viable for a few more centuries yet.

For more info and to sign up, visit: squaremilechallenge.co.uk