A recent survey conducted in The Korea Times office in Seoul is a good illustration of how badly some are addicted to paper cups.
On an average day, there are about 20 reporters in the news room. They were found to throw away a total of 242 paper cups in the span of six days, roughly 40 cups per day. The figure boils down to at least two paper cups per person per day.
Read more at www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/07/113_70355.html
Earth Day Festivities took place around the globe last week. In New York City, the Earth Fair was hosted outside of Grand Central Station.
A coworker passed this video on to me.
Gets the point across.
Disposable – The Billion Cup Blood Bath from Zac Whyte on Vimeo.
Last year, Starbucks CEO Howard Schults committed that Starbucks’ entire stock of coffe cups will be recyclable by 2012.
Starbucks’vice president of Global Responsibility, Ben Packard, invited 30 cup, cupstock and coating manufacturers, recyclers, waste managers and university researchers to Seattle this week to discuss creating recyclable coffee cups.
Some of the research presented showed that many of the cups are already recyclable to recover paper pulp. In fact, a coffee cup can be converted into a pizza box in just three days.
Starbucks is looking to implement a pilot program in Manhattan in which specialized bins will be placed to collect cups and paper bags, which will then be sent to Staten Island’s Pratt Industries for recycling.
The key to recyclability of paper cups is their material, as some (such as Starbucks’) are made of old corrugated cardboard (OCC), and others are mixed paper.
Mixed paper is a lower grade of paper that has less value when recycled. Although many of these cups are lined with wax for temperature control, this can be removed prior to recycling.
Panelists discussed the possibility of better labeling for these cups in regards to recyclability, with one suggesting that compostable cups be labeled with a brown stripe. North America is responsible for 60 percent of the 220 billion paper cups used globally each year.
Source: Reuters, earth911.com
Contigo developed the AUTOSEAL technology, which automatically seals between sips, and has integrated the exclusive lid system into a line of travel mugs and bottles. The Contigo AUTOSEAL line of products are all FDA approved and BPA free.
“Now more than ever, people are trying to find ways to save money,” Sami Elsaden, CEO of Contigo said. “By forgoing a daily stop at a coffee shop, consumers can save up to $2,000 a year as well as reduce the use of Styrofoam and cardboard cups, which is ultimately good for the environment.”
Watch a video on how the University of Northern BC is celebrating Green Day by focusing on waste reduction. The Green Day organizers have adorned the ceilings with used disposable coffee cups from waste audits showing how there is too much waste.
greenUpgrader has an article The Scourge of the Forest: Disposable Coffee Cups.
Read the article for more information on the damage caused by disposable cups and some good visuals.
Modern life is rubbish: litter is everywhere on Dorset streets
An article on litter in the streets with a shot of another abandoned cardboard cup…
Fast food firms taken to task after survey of street litter
Keep Britain Tidy named the most littered brands in England as McDonald’s, Greggs, KFC and Subway. While types of litter around the country varied, in London coffee cups from a mixture of brands accounted for most litter.
Pledge to Kill the Cardboard Cup and keep your city streets clean of unnecessary waste.
Nicely done school project demonstrating the disposable waste stream of our society–namely paper cups.
Another interesting project on throw-away cups.
