Paper cups have been widely used in coffee shops and cafes to take hot drinks away and drink on the go. It is estimated that 16 billion cups are thrown away globally per year, which wastes 6.5 million trees and 4 billion gallons of water annually (from Greenmatch). In the video below, James Hoffman talks about the necessity for paper cups in the coffee industry, while cautioning viewers of the dangers when we over-rely on them.
To summarise the video, some key takeaways are:
- Proper disposal methods are needed to remove the plastic lining within the paper cup before recycling.
- Recycling companies without the capacity to remove the linings throw the paper cups into landfills.
- The UK government proposes to reduce paper cup usage via a "latte levy", where takeaways coffees are charged an extra 25 pence
- Suggested alternatives to paper cups are porcelain cups, reusable cups (tumblers), and biodegradables. However, these alternatives are plagued with their own problems.
The first two points are the most interesting. Paper cup manufacturers are indirectly contributing to pollution when they print recyclable signs on the cups, as the signs are misleading for consumers, and retarding the recycling system. Paper cup manufacturers seem to be green-washing their cups, as they do not explain the conditions to meet before the cups can be recycled. Consumers then feel environmentally responsible when they throw their used paper cups into the recyling bins. When improperly disposed, the paper cups in the bins, can contaminate the recyclables, stripping away their potential to be recycled. Eventually, these wastes end up in landfills, which generate heaps of methane that pollute the atmosphere. As such, the lack of consumers' knowledge and the lack of manufacturers' initiative to educate results in a positive feedback loop of atmospheric pollution, due to the additional methane produced from waste that could be recycled.
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