Coronavirus: Cafes no longer accepting reusable coffee cups

Disinfectant wipes, paper towelling and takeaway coffee cups are among the products people have brought back as they attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Canberra cafe Muse made the difficult decision to stop accepting reusable coffee cups, following a similar step made at various coffee franchises across the world, including Starbucks.

"In the current coronavirus climate we are trying to do everything we can to protect our staff and customers from any risk," Muse co-owner Daniel Sanderson said.

"We just saw that as a potential source of risk as we don't have any control of those cups as they come into us."

While the cafe has stopped people from bringing their own cups, they have continued to participate in the ACT government's reusable cup scheme.

The program, Green Caffeen allows people to borrow a free cup so long as they are signed up to an app. People then return that cup to a cafe and are given a new one.

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Mr Sanderson said this program was safer as they could give customers a sanitised cup and ensure theirs was cleaned. It also meant less handling for their staff.

But while the use of plastic and single-use products could be ramped up due to coronavirus, experts have said outbreak could possibly result in a reduction of greenhouse emissions due to travel restrictions, at least for the duration of the outbreak.

Glen Peters of the Centre for International Climate and Environment Research wrote in The Conversation there was a "strong link between economic activity and global carbon dioxide emissions".

"This coupling suggests we might be in for an unexpected surprise due to the coronavirus pandemic; a slowdown of carbon dioxide emissions due to reduced energy consumption," he wrote.

However, Dr Peters said the effect would likely be less than that of the Global Financial Crisis and it was suggested there would be a "rapid recovery" of emissions when the pandemic finished.

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