For most people today is their first day back at work in the new year, and the January blues are looming large.

Not only do our bank accounts look worse for wear after Christmas, but we’re all feeling underslept after that early alarm.

So what could be better than the promise of cheap coffee (not to mention a little feel good factor), which is exactly what Pret A Manger is promising customers who bring their own cup to stores from today.

Starting on the 2 January, everyone who brings a reusable cup to the high street coffee chain will be rewarded with a 50p discount on their hot beverage.

A cost reduction that means their filter coffee will only cost 49p.

The environmentally-friendly incentive was introduced after the brand’s CEO, Clive Schlee, tweeted back in November that they were trying to encourage more drinkers to bring reusable cups, instead of relying on the takeaway ones.

As a result of positive feedback to his initial tweet, Schlee and his team decided that Pret should change their policy to reward customers with reusable cups.  

Paper cups are a huge problem for the coffee industry, which experts estimate creates around five billion items of waste every single year in the UK.

Although many of these cups seem to be paper (which might lead you to believe they aren’t that bad) they are actually not as biodegradable as they look.  

This is because although they are paper on the outside, they are sealed internally (to stop the liquid seeping out) with a plastic lining; a factor which means almost none of the cups on the high street break down in landfill sites.

Scientists believe they take upwards of thirty years to start to decompose.

Other suggestions from customers on Twitter included a reward scheme or having mugs for people drinking in store, rather than taking their drink away.

Good work Pret.