When I was in New Zealand, they had a single standard reusable metal cup for all their coffee shops. That is, you can pay to refill the cup, and if the cup is dirty, any coffee shop will exchange it with a clean one for free. Consumers pay a small deposit for the cup, and can get the deposit back by returning it.
Unfortunately, common-sense solutions like this one require tremendous political coordination to even get started. In most countries, environmentalism is far less creative - levy new taxes to change consumer behavior (e.g. single-use bags), or ban something entirely without consideration toward the alternatives (e.g. paper vs plastic straws).
Unfortunately, common-sense solutions like this one require tremendous political coordination to even get started. In most countries, environmentalism is far less creative - levy new taxes to change consumer behavior (e.g. single-use bags), or ban something entirely without consideration toward the alternatives (e.g. paper vs plastic straws).