7 September 2018

Reusable mugs are being introduced at Shropshire’s acute hospitals in the latest drive to reduce the impact on the environment.

Staff at Caffe Bistro show off the new reusable mugs

The mugs will be available at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) from next week.

They cost just £4 each and the price includes a free drink. On top of that, every time a customer uses the mug, they will receive a 15% discount on their hot drink.

It is the latest drive by The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) which runs RSH and PRH. The Trust has already switched to biodegradable drinking straws as part of the move to reduce the amount of plastic which ends up in landfill and in our rivers and oceans.

Green campaigners want wider efforts to crack down on rising levels of plastic waste, from tiny shreds to drinks bottles and fishing gear, which is polluting the oceans and coasts, an issue which hit the headlines after being highlighted in the BBC’s Blue Planet II series.

Nick Parkin, Senior Catering Manager at SaTH, said: “We take our environmental and social responsibilities very seriously. With almost 6,000 employees and hundreds of thousands of patient appointments every year, we inevitably generate a lot of waste, but we committed to reducing that wherever we can.

“We want as many people as possible to use our reusable mugs, which is why we are offering the discount on hot drinks for everyone who does.

“The mugs also look really good and, at only £4, will pay for themselves in no time.”

As well as tackling environmental issues, the Catering team at SaTH has been ahead of the game when it comes to promoting healthy eating.

The Trust has:

  • Heavily reduced the sale of sugared drinks and confectionery aimed explicitly at children at its outlets and vending machines at the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at PRH
  • Removed added-sugar drinks from vending machines
  • Significantly reduced the availability of sugared drinks from Trust commercial outlets
  • Removed sugared items from promotions and meal deals
  • Introduced sugar-free syrups and real fruit smoothies at its Caffe Bistro coffee shops
  • Removed added-sugar items from next to the tills and replaced with healthier items