Cafe in forest near Northampton stops serving takeaway cups to fight littering

Starting next week, the Forest Cafe in Salcey Forest, off Quinton Road, will no longer serve tea or coffee in single-use disposable cups.

Owner Katherine Staniforth says cafe can get through as many as 300 takeaway cups a week and says it adds to a serious littering problem in the forest.

She said: "It worries people that people have no understanding what it does to the wildlife. Those cups do not rot or decompose and they just damage the environment. Then it has to be somebody's job to pick them up.

"People have got so used to taking everything in a takeaway cup that they don't think what it does. We are just using too much of it as a nation.

"It's not just our cups either, I'll still see Costa and McDonald's cups when I go out in the forest. It's a real problem."

From now on, the Forest Cafe will only serve drinks in sit-in china cups and mugs.

They will also have decomposable, reusable bamboo takeaway cups on sale for anyone who insists on having their drinks on the go.

Katherine said: "People have forgotten how to take that 10 minutes to site and enjoy their cup of tea or coffee.

"Bring your own cup if you like, or show your support and buy one of our bamboo ones. It will stop littering and give people an opportunity to sit down and take a moment."