SCOTRAIL is lifting the ban on passengers’ reusable coffee cups following years of complaints from customers.
From Monday, travellers will be able to take their own mugs on board and get them filled up from the trolley.
Until now, they have had to use the firm’s throwaway paper cups if they wanted to buy a ScotRail drink.
The climbdown will delight many green-minded customers who claimed the company’s policy was bad for the environment.
But commuters will have to equip themselves with a mug holding precisely 12oz or 340ml so that it fits the cup holder on the catering trolley.
ScotRail said the ban was put in place for health and safety reasons due to staff getting burnt whilst filling up commuters’ cups.
A ScotRail Alliance spokesman said: “The safety of our people and our passengers always comes first – it’s easy to forget that pouring boiling hot liquid on a moving train can be quite dangerous. Since the introduction of our new system, burns and injuries have gone down to virtually zero.
“We’re pleased to say that we will be accepting re-usable cups from Monday, now that we’re confident that they can be used safely with our catering trolleys.”
According to the most recent statistics, the UK throws away around three billion disposable cups a year.
Many cups used in high street coffee chains cannot be recycled due to only a small number of specialist plants being able to recycle the polyethylene used to keep them waterproof.
Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland praised the decision. He said: “It is another step in cutting our emissions and stopping waste.”
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