We all like to think that we are making the best choices for our environment and our health. However, most of us don’t have the time or the resources to really check it out. Hopefully, we will be able to shed some light on the green choices you are making in your everyday lives! I will be doing a series of posts on different household items and their effects that you may or may not have thought about.
Coffee Cups – Paper or Foam?
If you only look at the energy used in manufacturing, foam wins hands down. According to a 1994 study of Martin Hocking, making a ceramic cup requires 70 times more energy than making a foam cup. Glass and paper cups require 20 times and two times as much energy. When you add the energy when you wash a reusable cup in a dishwasher, this gets even worse! You have to use and wash a glass cup 15 times to make it as efficient as a paper cup.
With all of that being said, there are other factors you have to consider. Foam is cheap to make and transport. However, it takes centuries for it biodegrade. It is very hard to recycle, and most recycling companies will not take it. Foam cups are also made from petrochemicals. There is the concern that these chemicals can leach into your drinks. Paper coffee cups often feel like the greener choice. However, most cannot be recycled, because they have a plastic lining. That being said, Starbucks just recently announced it is sending its cups to be recycled into napkins. Paper cups also contribute to deforestation. If the paper is bleached, you also have to worry about releasing carcinogenic dioxins. These cups also take 20 years or so to biodegrade.
What is your best choice then? Neither. Your best choice is to use a ceramic, glass, bamboo, or steel mugs you already own and reuse. Most bamboo cups cannot be put into the dishwasher and have to be cleaned by hand and hot water, so of those choices, bamboo would be the best reusable cup to use. It may take more energy to make reusable cups, but you are saving the landfills. You don’t have to worry if you are drinking anything you didn’t plan on either. Your next choice should be paper. If you can find them, use biodegradable ones. You can even find biodegradable bamboo cups too. In fact, if you’re a Starbucks junkie, you’ll be happy to know that they are considering using bamboo for their cups in the future. They can be composted after you are done with them! Foam should be your last choice.
Who knew that the decision about what you should drink your morning coffee (or your tea!) in could be so difficult? Keep in mind though, it is the little things we do that will help save this planet.
Beyond your cup of joe in the morning, consider getting dressed for the day in organic bamboo clothing and choose organic bedspreads for your sleeping comfort. Once you try the incredibly soft bamboo, you’ll know it was a smart choice to make.
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I always bring my own mug and my local Starbucks gives a discount!
Great article, and found it very interesting, recycling paper cups is being done, and the number of paper cup recycling schemes is growing, in the uk this is being coordinated by http://www.papercuprecycling.com with collecting agents like http://www.save-a-cup.co.uk/ recovered fibres are being used to make paper hand towels, toilet rolls, and the number of companies wanting to use recycled paper is growing. The use of paper cups is useful to the market, as without it, there can be no impulse buy, but to minimize wast is good. The china mug is great if we can get it used 100 times + as the impact of digging china clay, has a huge impact on the countryside with huge clay pits as a blot on the landscape, and currently there are no schemes that i know about for recycling china mugs. The biggest benefit to coffee retailers of foam cups is they are cheap, but again there is no recycling schemes that i know of for recycling foam cups.
NICE
hey, looks like your blog is a little slow…
Really like it! Actually thrilled to see you touch on this subject, most people seem to fly right passed it. Keep it up, I bookmarked your site and will keep checking on your posts as time goes on. Thank you!
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