UK Entrepreneur Creates Collapsible Coffee Cup to Fight Pollution

Andrew Brooks created the collapsible Pokito to combat pollution from single-use, paper cups. (Image via the Daily Mail)

In order to combat the number of single-use coffee cups that end up in landfills, one entrepreneur in the U.K. created a collapsible mug for coffee to go.

Andrew Brooks, the designer of the Pokito coffee cup, wants to replace the paper cups that customers receive from coffee shops, like Starbucks.

According to the Daily Mail, these single-use cups have a plastic membrane, which makes them ineligible for recycling along with other paper waste. Because of this, 2.5 billion cups end up in landfills every year, where they take up to 30 years to decompose, while releasing greenhouse gasses in the process.

"We should be incentivizing consumers enjoying coffees on the go to take reusable cups," Chris Sherrington of environmental consulting firm Eunomia, told the Daily Mail.

Brooks' design is tested to last for more than 1,500 uses and is dishwasher-safe. The cup has a center band for strength and insulation, and collapses down to about 1.5". It also includes built-in insulation and a spill-proof lid.

"Growing millions of trees to manufacture billions of cups for a few minutes of convenience has to be considered a wasteful and ecologically unsound practice," Brooks told the Daily Mail. "I do believe there has to be a better way. We can still enjoy our daily indulgence and manage to safeguard the environment for future generations."

Brooks raised more than $14,500 on Kickstarter, and plans to sell the items for about $19.