coffee cup waste

[Joseph Nicholls]

Hi,
Anyone keen to share campaign ideas for targeting throw-away coffee cups: with aim to help raise awareness of broader convenience based wastage? I think wellington would be a good starting point as we have such a thriving coffee culture. Thinking of a "one less cup" initiative with support and signage at cafes?

Joseph

[zef[a]media]

Well, the cup itself is usually biodegradable and from sustainable sources - as a greenie I have no problem with that. But it's the lids I don't like which look like plastic, and I usually hold onto to these to place into the recylcing (assuming they're recyclable!). There's probably a plant-based alternative for the lids?

So maybe a campaign around "flip the lid" or "don't lidder"

[Shanan]

I'd always thought coffee cups were biodegradable as well. Last week I was cleaning out my compost to move it and came across quite a few coffee cup-shaped plastic sleeves that must have been left over after the cardboard had composted! Not sure whether that's all of my takeaway cups, or just a few types, but definitely something to look out for.

[Joseph Nicholls]

I wonder if the plastic sleeves you found is whats left of the wax-like internal liner to the cups? Would you also use that compost to put on your vege garden? Many things do biodegrade but i'm not convinced that is a sound long term solution unless the chemical and particals that result are completely safe and actually offer some goodness for the soil. We cant be sure that coffee cups dont have residual dioxins from paper bleaching and printing.
Switching to biodegradable might help the symptom of waste but does not stop the problem i see as a modern expectation to have disposable stuff. The quick coffee cup experience is just one example of many. Cafes now serve small portions of butter in plastic and foil tubs...etc. Not sure that changing to biodegradable or recyclable lids is quite enough?

[Richard Webster]

There are a few coffee cups that say they are biodegradeable and might completely disappear in your compost bin, however, that isn't where 99% of them go! I just did a waste audit today of a large office in central wellington and we must have found 500-1000 coffee cups from just 1 weeks waste! In a landfill, biodegradeable cups will simply create methane. We need to be really careful about thinking that biodegradeable is always a better option.
The lids by the way are made of no.6 plastic which you can't recycle in Wellington (or most other parts of NZ too) - sorry. Best take your mug along in future.

[Shanan]

FYI, after reading this and discovering my plastic lined takeaway cups, I decided to quit takeaway cups where ever possible. This has led to a week of sitting and drinking my morning coffee at my local cafe. Definitely a much nicer way to start the day than rushing to my desk with a takeaway.

[Joseph Nicholls]

Great, that is the way! Also I understand Milk Crate cafe on Ghuznee Street will shortly have very nice reusable cups for sale, specifically designed for takeaway coffee. If you are in wellington lets support them.

[zef[a]media]

Anyone got any stats on the Environmental Footprint of a plastic or metal reusable cup vs say 2 years of using locally-made biodegrable cardboard takeaway coffee cups?

I'm all for reuse - but would prefer if the materials are from a renewable resource, can be recycled and are produced/shipped with minimal impact.

Back to clay and pottery? :)

[zef[a]media]

check this out - reusable coffee cup http://www.keepcup.com.au/

[zef[a]media]

So turns out our fellow Kiwis ordering these online and they're shipped from Australia - what's the impact of that? Kind of defeats the purpose don't you think? But they've got the right idea at least. It's a complex world.

[Joseph Nicholls]

Glad you found keepcup as well. I have suggested them to a wellington roasting houses and cafes, and you will see them in store in Milk Crate cafe (ghuznee st) this week, others soon to follow i hope. It will be useful incentive if cafes can brand them to be as successful marketing objects as the ol' paper cup. Most of coffee industry is still unaware of them so lets all ask at your local cafe... and they can easily get them in, or order your own direct.

[Joseph Nicholls]

i think the hutamaki paper cups come from further away, perhaps europe?

[Megan Hosking]

Here's a nutty idea....sit down and enjoy our coffee!

Ok, we are a way off changing our takeaway culture, granted, so i reckon the way forward is to BYO! FYO (find your own)! MYO (make your own)!

A couple of years back, I upgraded my handbag to accommodate an eco bag and a coffee thermos. I find them cheaply at op shops, and give any spares away to friends.

I often get a discount on my coffee for bringing my own, and often the barista looks at me like I am some kind of sentient being... so its worth it!

I'd love to design an urban survival bag - a gorgeous eco tote that has room for your takeaway cup, sunscreen, a little bike pump, some reusable sandwich bags. Of course, buying any of these things from scratch uses up a hellavalot of resources (more than hundreds of paper coffee cups), so best try and find or make something from used materials. No Impact man can help inspire us here.