I recently read an interesting article in a UK newspaper about whether it was 'greener' to use the ubiquitous paper coffee cups offered at every coffee shop I know of or if it made more sense to use the ceramic coffee cups that they offer and then wash/re-use. The answer really surprised me.According to a research study done in the early 1990s (Dr Martin Hocking - Reusable and Disposable Cups: an Energy-Based Evaluation), you would have to use a ceramic cup over 1,000 times to break even, from an energy use standpoint, with its paper counterpart. Why? Because the kilns that are used to produce the ceramic cup are extraordinarily energy intensive, because you have to use energy to run the cups through a dishwasher, and because ceramic cups break. So, given that fact, Starbucks is doing the right thing by offering their coffee in over 2.3 BILLION paper cups per year right? Not so fast.
The problem with the paper cups like the ones used at Starbucks is that they are coated with a polyethylene plastic - the stuff that keeps the coffee from soaking through the cup and burning you (thus allowing you to sue Starbucks for millions). Most recycling plans do not have the ability to separate the plastic coated inside from the paper shell - rendering these cups unrecyclable. There are also those little white plastic lids to account for. Those things, for the most part, are also unrecyclable.
What should you do given all of this? Take your own cup. My Starbucks fills up my coffee tumbler for $0.43 - a savings of $1.50 each time I use it. I wash this thing by hand (because it says I have to) so there is no dishwasher energy consumed and less likelihood of it breaking. So - the next time you have the choice between paper or ceramic, choose neither and hand them the cup you bring for yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment