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Coffee Cups Are Next

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Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#381

Post by wemdyjreichert »

omegabravo wrote: post #236
wemdyjreichert wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's only true of you prioritize minimization of e-waste over personal convenience, which most (including me) do not. The regulation delay is exactly the problem: had politicians standardized micro-usb, we would still be on it rather than usb-c.

In Australia, the laws refer to the Australian Standards (ie. AS3000 for the electrical code). These are updated as necessary with out an act of parliament. Regulation delay is a feature here, as we don't need a new standard every couple of years.

No one in America needs a new standard either. Literally no piece of gear I own has usb-c, except for one on my laptop which is not the primary charging port and I do not ever use (due to the traditional lineup of ports being available).

I get switching can be a pain, but most people (the people regulation is crafted to cover) do not upgrade on the schedule of many tech enthusiasts. Consumers are also keeping devices progressively longer as time goes by.

I'm still happy with micro-usb, usb-a, hdmi, etc. for now. People do not switch out devices all at once, and it seems that forcing them to do so would create waste.

Lastly, how do they enforce it? Any one can go on amazon.com and buy a non-standard charger and a plug adapter, right? I would imagine those who do want things like quick charge would just buy the stuff.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#382

Post by gridlockd »

truckerbill wrote: post #367
DanBC wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lids are easily recyclable. The paper cups have a plastic lining. They can be recycled, but not easily. Most recycling centres can't take them. As an end user it's really hard for me to know what to do: is this single use hard to recycle plastic environmentally worse than ceramic mugs being washed or plastic reusable cups being reused maybe dozens of times if we're lucky. Personally, I'd go for single use plastic…

Washing a ceramic mug is clearly the better choice environmentally-or bring your own reusable to-go cup.

> a ceramic mug

Not so fast! A ceramic mug takes a huge amount of energy to produce, so unless you reuse it many times, it won't break even:

https://terngoods.com/blogs/learn/cups-single-use-disposable...

Keep in mind that even a ceramic mug eventually becomes trash - with a far higher mass than paper/plastic cups.

Then of course there's the environmental impact of washing the cup, but I don't have any data on that.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#383

Post by DanBC »

truckerbill wrote: post #367
DanBC wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lids are easily recyclable. The paper cups have a plastic lining. They can be recycled, but not easily. Most recycling centres can't take them. As an end user it's really hard for me to know what to do: is this single use hard to recycle plastic environmentally worse than ceramic mugs being washed or plastic reusable cups being reused maybe dozens of times if we're lucky. Personally, I'd go for single use plastic…

Washing a ceramic mug is clearly the better choice environmentally-or bring your own reusable to-go cup.

You say clearly, but the full lifetime calculation is difficult.

I have no idea how the clay is obtained, transported to the mug factory, how it's turned into mugs, how the mugs are transported to shops and then to cafés and homes. I don't know how to include the detergent used to wash them, or the dishwasher. I guess we need to include the hot water, but how much of the plumbing do we include?

I also don't know any of this for the paper/plastic cups.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#384

Post by PedroBatista »

noncoml wrote: post #311
carlob wrote: post #294

As a European I really don't get take-out cups, in most Western Europe there are two options: either you have the 3 minutes it takes to sip on a cappuccino or hot tea, or you drink an espresso standing (both in a ceramic cup). If you see someone walking around with a pint of hot beverage, it's a safe bet they are American. I heard some American friend that it's part of American culture to control climate: drinks must…

> you drink an espresso standing I believe this really more of an Italian thing

At least in Spain and Portugal they do it too.

You sit if it’s “leisure”, if it’s just a 5min pit-stop you stand.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#385

Post by PedroBatista »

duxup wrote: post #342
carlob wrote: post #294

As a European I really don't get take-out cups, in most Western Europe there are two options: either you have the 3 minutes it takes to sip on a cappuccino or hot tea, or you drink an espresso standing (both in a ceramic cup). If you see someone walking around with a pint of hot beverage, it's a safe bet they are American. I heard some American friend that it's part of American culture to control climate: drinks must…

Is coffee served cooler in your experience. 3 minutes seems like it would still be pretty hot?

Expresso is a small quantity so it cools faster than a big bucket of dark water.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#386

Post by iamphilrae »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #380
chronogram wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tap water here in the Netherlands is excellent, and I’d much prefer it over bottled water, but that’s only available in places where you’d take your jacket off: home, friends, work, school, hairdresser and the likes. If you’re going somewhere you can bring water or buy water in bottles, but I’ve never seen other ways of getting water.

That's one thing that's changed since my childhood. As a kid, here in the UK, most schools, public buildings and towns (in the street) had drinking fountains. Most town centres, shopping areas, tourist spots etc had them. Quite often they had a way to fill a bottle too. In the eighties they died out, and you'll rarely to never see one today. Why? They certainly weren't unsafe. Bottled water producers seem to have man…

I remember mentioning this in a comment thread on Instagram. One response came from someone in the UK who said something along the lines of... “It has been scientifically proven that our water contains high concentrations of cocaine, heroin and other drugs. That’s why I will only drink bottled water.” facepalm

I remember in the 80’s when travelling to Europe, whether you could drink the tap water was always a question to ask at the start of the holiday. 30 years later, we are now questioning our own tap water even though the rest of the EU and America have caught up, with water quality that is on par with anything that could be purchased in a bottle.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#387

Post by gedy »

kristopolous wrote: post #234
chrisco255 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biodegradable materials get reabsorbed by the environment by definition. They're also recycleable. For instance, cardboard breaks down within two months.

And how were they sourced? How were they manufactured? How did they get to the point of consumption? How were they packaged when they arrived? How do they get to the garbage site? You have to include all the steps of how it got from tree to your hand and your hand back into the Earth. There's still plenty of pollution in that process even if the object itself isn't part of it.

> And how were they sourced? How were they manufactured? How did they get to the point of consumption?

Like it's better from reusable cups? Basically will likely be ceramic, plastic, and metal from China, hauled across the ocean in some hugely polluting ship. No thanks.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#388

Post by fifnir »

bubblewrap wrote: post #346
fifnir wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So what's another plastic bottle in the dump right? Someone will figure it out, as long as you don't need to deal with the hassle

In my country, plastic bottles have returnable deposits, so they tend to not end in the dump. There are also glass bottles available. That said, I think plastic can be OK if it is trashed adequately. I don't think my plastic bottles end up in the oceans.

Even if it gets recycled, it's not free. Raw materials need to be collected, processed, and transfered. The bottle-quality plastic has to be created and transfeed to the bottle making factory. The bottles transfered again potentially, filled with water, wrapped in more plastic, transfered again.... all that before recycling.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#389

Post by chrisco255 »

kristopolous wrote: post #234
chrisco255 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biodegradable materials get reabsorbed by the environment by definition. They're also recycleable. For instance, cardboard breaks down within two months.

And how were they sourced? How were they manufactured? How did they get to the point of consumption? How were they packaged when they arrived? How do they get to the garbage site? You have to include all the steps of how it got from tree to your hand and your hand back into the Earth. There's still plenty of pollution in that process even if the object itself isn't part of it.

From mix of recycled and new trees. Trees which are farmed in the U.S. and sustainably managed. And trees which, by the way, absorb carbon.
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