Avoiding microplastics when on the road
- John McNeil, MD
It can be challenging to avoid plastic when traveling. One of the easiest things you can do is bring your own stainless steel or ceramic mugs for when you get hot drinks. Most coffee shops will let you use your own mug; some even give you a discount! Occasionally this is not allowed - this happened to me once at a Starbucks in an airport. In this case you can just immediately pour the drink out of the (plastic-lined) ‘paper’ cup and immediately into your own mug. This is easiest when you are staying somewhere with a dishwasher but if not you can either bring several mugs or wash one out in the bathroom sink with soap.
We have covered the benefits of using your own mug several times on the blog but I still hardly ever see anyone doing it! To review:
Drinks stay hot much much longer
Drinks may taste better
Less waste (both paper and plastic) - this ultimately means less microplastics in the environment
Potential health benefits to the drinker from less microplastics
The Harbour Town Bakery and Café in beautiful Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island allows you to bring your own mug!
I have mainly been using a stainless steel mug (see above) but I am going to try a ceramic one soon to see if I can tell a taste difference (most sources say that coffee tastes better out of a ceramic mug. Stay tuned!