Our mission is for every principal, teacher, parent of a child in kindergarten to say “I choose the reusable cup” and to do it!
The challenge
Pollution of the environment with disposable packaging is one of the biggest problems of our time.
In most state kindergartens in the country, children drink water with disposable plastic cups. Every day in 1894 kindergartens in Bulgaria, each child out of a total of 224,380 uses an average of 5 disposable cups. Thus, more than 1 million cups are consumed every school day, which is equivalent to 240 million cups per year with a total waste weight of over 550 tons. The disposable cup is used in just 2-3 seconds, then becomes a contaminant of water, air and soil for 300 to 500 years.
This plastic waste cannot be recycled!
The cups discarded in just one year are enough to cover half the length of the equator. This consumer “achievement” costs the taxpayer over BGN 6 million each year only for the value of the purchased cups, without taking into account fees and taxes for transportation, disposal, etc.
The use of plastic drinking cups by children in kindergartens is not practiced in any other country in the European Union.
The use of disposable plastic cups for drinking water by children in kindergartens in Bulgaria is an extreme case of consumer behavior which will take root in children’s minds as a norm for a whole next generation of citizens.
Actions
We want the children in the kindergartens of Bulgaria to grow up with love and care for the world around them and to build themselves as people who are aware and responsible for their own future.
We are working towards the introduction of individual reusable water glasses for each child in state kindergartens by providing principals, teachers, parents and medical staff with materials for informed choice in combination with ready-made solutions for reusable containers that are both healthy, educational, economic and environmental sustainable:
A set of reusable cups with an individual picture for each child in a group;
A set of educational and practical materials for gluing, coloring and cutting, with which we help to easily introduce the cups into the daily lives of children, teachers and nurses in kindergarten;
System for convenient, aesthetic and hygienic storage of water glasses;
Individual water bowls;
Alternatives for drinking water in the yard of the kindergarten without plastic – bottles, jugs – eco-dispensers; taps, machines for the production of fresh table water on site.
Results
Every child who joins the Cup Mission is a great joy to us. In 2019, there were 1,874 children. This is an increase of 40% compared to 2018, when plastic cups were replaced with reusable ones by 1,330 children. The growth for 2018 compared to 2017 is as much as 100%.
We are still far from the goal of joining 5% (about 10 -11 thousand children) of municipal kindergartens.
The “I choose the reusable cup” mission is self-financing and reinvests revenue in improvements, presentations, design and operating costs.
Advantages
HEALTHY
◦ The reusable cups we offer as an alternative are made of the highest quality stainless steel (stainless steel 304: chrome-nickel 18/10.) 2 Excellent for food contact, 100% natural, durable and easy for sanitation, stainless steel 18/10 is the preferred material for professional utensils for preparing, storing and serving food and beverages;
◦ Without Bisphenol-A: the chemical contained in most types of plastics destroys the monocrine system;
◦ Saves 8 tons of carbon emissions each year;
◦ Prevents the release of partially filtered dioxins from the combustion of plastics in cement plants and some thermal power plants in the country;
◦ Children will breathe cleaner air and will be healthier!
EDUCATIONAL
With each sip of water from the reusable cup, children will save another plastic cup from disposal, which makes the world a better and cleaner place for themselves and for the generations to come. Tell them!
With these small steps and seemingly small changes in the way they drink water, in the habits and perceptions of children, there will be a fundamental change that will help them grow as people and more responsible citizens:
- They will learn to take responsibility for their own belongings (cup);
- They will learn to arrange it in the place where they took it;
- They will get used to the repeated use of resources;
- They will get used to appreciating things instead of throwing them away;
- They will connect the study material “Man and Nature” with the practice and they will understand its deep meaning.
ECONOMIC
Turn expenses into savings!
When you use disposable plastic cups for drinking water in the kindergarten, you subscribe for an annual financial cost of 25-30 BGN / child / year.
Joining the Mission “I choose the cup reusable “you:
- save 50% of the total cost of cups in the first year of the introduction of cups;
- achieve 100% savings on the cost of cups for each subsequent year;
- achieve 100% savings on the cost of continuous hygiene after each use compared to ordinary non-individualized cups.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
The environmental benefits of introducing the reusable drinking glass in kindergartens are innumerable.
Assuming that you are a principal or parent in a medium-sized kindergarten with 160-180 children, and put into practice the idea of ”I choose the reusable cup!”, then for a period of 4 years until the children finish kindergarten and start school, you will save 880,000 plastic cups, equal to the saved 2.7 tons of plastic, equal to over 8 tons of carbon emissions.
…. And so for every next generation of children! It’s worth it, isn’t it?
AESTHETICALLY
Instead of being dominated by garbage cans filled with plastic cups, the drinking place should be beautifully shaped, with a legend about individual glasses, with information about the water and substance cycle, with a beautiful locker or shelf in which to arrange personal cups.
Partners:
