EVERY LID'LL HELP

Pilot programme cutting down on plastic pollution

- BY NADA FARHOUD Environment Editor in Aarhus, Denmark

Each year 250 billion single-use drinks cups are used and then tossed away around the world, littering parks, beaches and ending up in rivers and seas.

Their slow decomposition, especially those with plastic linings, can lead to the release of microplastics into the environment, which can be disastrous for wildlife and also pollute our precious water systems.

Now one Danish metropolis thinks it has the answer to solving the crisis.

In Aarhus, the world’s first citywide recyclable cups scheme has saved hundreds of thousands of them from ending up in landfill, stopping pollutants from leaching into the ground and air.

Instead of chucking them away, locals use one of the “Reuseable” deposit machines in Denmark's second biggest city to return them and their lids to be washed and sent back to retailers.

It is a simple system and the deposit, around 80p, is returned directly to your bank account via your credit card.