This Clever Reusable Cup Will Fit in Your Pocket

"Bring your own coffee cup" is one of the first pieces of advice you'll see in articles on zero waste living. It's good advice, but it does not address the challenge of carrying around a reusable coffee mug, especially if you're doing it the "green" way on foot or by bicycle, and have a bunch of other things to carry as well. More often than not, the coffee mug gets left behind, sacrificed to make room for other stuff. 

But what if you didn't have to make that choice? What if a reusable coffee mug existed that was a no-brainer to carry? The good news is, it does! It's called the Hunu cup and it collapses to a height of just 0.75 inches (2 centimeters), despite a respectable 9-ounce (265 mL) capacity. This collapsed disc is roughly the size of a small wallet and can fit easily into a pocket or small purse, even the back pocket of jeans. The Hunu is so compact that it qualifies as a letter when mailed in the United Kingdom.

The Hunu cup has a clever practical design. When folded up, it's held together by a wide elastic band with a plug that goes into the sipping hole; this prevents any leaks from happening when you stash the cup after finishing your beverage. That same band doubles as a thermal sleeve when the cup is in use, giving an extra layer of protection from the heat.

It's made from food-grade silicone that is BPA-free and has a hard plastic lid made from bamboo fiber and resin. Cup and lid can go in the dishwasher, and the cup on its own can be put in the microwave and freezer. 

Single-use coffee cup waste is a huge problem, with roughly 165 million cups ending up in landfill every day. Prior to the pandemic, Starbucks alone distributed around 4 billion cups a year, requiring pulp from more than 1 million trees. And because these cups have a thin plastic layer on the inside to prevent them from getting soggy, they are difficult and impractical to recycle.

If a person isn't willing to sit down in-house and drink their coffee in a ceramic mug ("Italian-style," I've called it in the past), or maybe isn't even allowed to due to current restrictions, then carrying one's own cup – and possibly even fresh coffee – from home is the greenest and most responsible thing to do. Having a lightweight, compact reusable cup like the Hunu makes this easier than ever.

Who knew? Check out all the available colors here.