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Coffee Cups Are Next

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Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#341

Post by Cthulhu_ »

scotty79 wrote: post #243
satori99 wrote: post #96

A former workplace of mine mandated that no-one was allowed to use re-usable coffee mugs at all. This was done because of the mass of dirty, moldy cups that seemed to fill every kitchenette in a multi-floor building. The business was a media organization and it seemed to me like reporters were the worst culprits. The company provided styrofoam cups which were consumed at a enormous rate, and this was deemed to be a b…

My office had a lot of ceramic cups that were taken by employees from the cabinet, used and left wherever in the kitchenette. There was one dedicated employee whose main job was to gather the cups and put them in the dishwasher and after they are cleaned, put them back in the cabinet. Dishwasher ran constantly and that employee kept kitchenette neat in between of cup handling. I think there were even two dishwashers…

That's what we have at our workplace too; the main thing though (from an employer's point of view) is that ceramic cups will take a bit more employee time, either for dedicated staff to handle dishes and rebalancing cups in the kitchens, or for the consumers who have to make sure they put their cups in the dishwashers.

I don't think the environmental impact is that big if they use paper / cardboard cups instead. Those are properly reusable at least.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#342

Post by duxup »

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?

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#344

Post by x38iq84n »

rorykoehler wrote: post #327
x38iq84n wrote: post #317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It still is garbage, only some people demanded more resources to be spent on making the items so they can be claimed reusable. In order to follow the movement I would need to carry a backpack of some sort, all the time and all places, or be ready to pay up. I would need to use probably more plastic bags than today, just to prevent spills and contamination from the coffee cups and straws. Gone would be freedom to chan…

I agree re Asia but I don't think it's an either or situation. I also don't like carrying a cup which is why I think there needs to be a german style pfand system for cups. Straws I can live without completely if necessary. Shopping bags the same. Often I just stack the goods up and tuck them under my arm. Regarding the disabled aspect I reckon everyone has to adjust according to their circumstances whoever they are.…

> everyone has to adjust according to their circumstances whoever they are

The level of your arrogance is astonishing. There is this group of people called the old people. Not disabled, just old with degraded fine motorics, weaker grip, shaky hands and a quivering jaw. Give them a metal or bamboo straw and they'll chew their teeth out. Remove plastic straws completely or make them at a hefty fee and you just made their life another bit harder.

> The whole system shouldn't change to accommodate edge cases that can be accommodated in another acceptable way.

I agree with you there. We already have waste collection and recycling programs, so there is no need to change the system by inventing pfand system for cups or banning plastics in some shapes and forms.

Once again, while you were focusing on straws worth of grams of plastic, others dumped tons of plastic into the wild. You are completely missing the point of the bigger picture and no effort on your side will make measurable impact, not to nature anyway.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#345

Post by croisillon »

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…

I'd mostly agree with you but I happen to have a proper European coworker who constantly brings her big coffee to work, so... there's that. Most of the times she gets refills in her own bamboo cup though.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#346

Post by bubblewrap »

fifnir wrote: post #286
bubblewrap wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Filters seem like a lot of hassle, though. You have to keep them clean and exchange them on a regular basis. I don't really trust that solution.

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.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#347

Post by bubblewrap »

kristopolous wrote: post #300
bubblewrap wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Filters seem like a lot of hassle, though. You have to keep them clean and exchange them on a regular basis. I don't really trust that solution.

Many under-sink filtration systems last at least 10,000 gallons. They take 5 minutes max to replace. Are you saying that 5 minute task every few years is more work then manually lugging 10,000 gallons of water through say, 10,000 separate containers, carrying each one, opening them manually each time, tipping and pouring them, then discarding them? (that's the weight of about 25 cars) Not to be rude but I don't belie…

The problem is not the 5 minutes, it is to remember doing it. Because if you don't remember it, you might get sick from bacteria growing in the filter.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#348

Post by bubblewrap »

navigatesol wrote: post #339
bubblewrap wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Filters seem like a lot of hassle, though. You have to keep them clean and exchange them on a regular basis. I don't really trust that solution.

> I don't really trust that solution. What other-worldly solution do you think the bottling companies are using?

I think they at least professionally manage the hygiene in their factories. They pay cleaners to clean stuff and exchange filters on a regular schedule.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#349

Post by snowwolf »

pg_bot wrote: post #55

If you don't think the people who work at these companies care about making better cups, read the following article.[0] There is a big opportunity for making a better disposable cup, but there are many engineering hurdles to jump over. - The cup has to retail for 17 cents. - It has to support a lid that is resealable. - It has to tip over and not spill. - It has to handle high temperatures. - It can't alter the taste…

Quite a few of the coffee shops I go to have started using these:

https://www.vegware.com/biodegradable-hot-cups/cat_4.html

The problem is that they require heat to activate the composting process, so need special bins that are sent to commercial composting centers, and there are none of those bins around, so they end up in regular garbage bins.

Re: Coffee Cups Are Next

#350

Post by fstephany »

mft_ wrote: post #295
scotty79 wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My office had a lot of ceramic cups that were taken by employees from the cabinet, used and left wherever in the kitchenette. There was one dedicated employee whose main job was to gather the cups and put them in the dishwasher and after they are cleaned, put them back in the cabinet. Dishwasher ran constantly and that employee kept kitchenette neat in between of cup handling. I think there were even two dishwashers…

Funnily enough, we just hit a similar issue. I'm part of an environmental group at my workplace, and one of our recent pilots was to get rid of single-use paper cups. It was crazy: despite ample clean ceramic cups being available --and indeed stacked on top of the coffee machine!-- many people defaulted to paper cups, sometimes to the tune of having 5-10 used paper cups on their desk at the end of a day. Anyway, one…

> I unexpectedly find it strangely therapeutic to do the dish-washing :)

You're not the only one!

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