#1. The world throws away 16 billion "disposable" paper coffee cups each year and 25 billion Styrofoam (polystyrene) cups.
#2. Municipal recycling facilities do not accept single use paper coffee cups. These cups are laminated with plastic that cannot be separated from the paper and gets stuck in paper recycling machines.
#3. Municipal recycling facilities also do not accept plastic lids, plastic lined sleeves or plastic straws.
#4. While single use cups may use less energy to produce than reusable cups, their environmental impact post-use is much greater.
#5. Compostable hot and cold single use cups, those lined with Ingeo, are only compostable commercially in a certified facility. The US has a limited number of industrial composting facilities.
#6. Post consumer %s also mean that a % of that cup, sleeve or lid is new material.
#7. 70% of the world’s paper is harvested from logged forests, not from plantations or recycling.
Check out the rest of our blog for the robot's directive on reducing his single use cup waste, promoting reusable cups and building a more sustainable community and coffee culture.
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