In a culture that seems to run on caffeine, a prominent environmental issue surrounding coffee chains is the colossal amount of paper cups that is generated on a daily basis, many of which end up in the trash instead of the recycling. While both Starbucks and Tim Hortons are careful not to claim to recycle at all locations and communities, they both assert themselves as displaying great environmental stewardship. However, it’s been found that their recycling programs may be even less developed than previously claimed.
A CBC investigation has found that a large number of these stores just wind up mixing all their waste, recycling and compost included, to be destined for landfills. Interestingly enough, some of the trash was even mixed immediately, in front-of-store customer waste bins. The news team found that oftentimes, waste-separating bins with separate holes for different types of trash tended to contain only one bag. In the study, 28 cups were outfitted with tracking devices and placed in recycling containers at several locations. 14 of the cups ended up in the garbage instead, and the remaining 14 could not be found.
Employees at each of the chains have reported concerns about company environmental management, citing lack of support for proper waste management and dubious environmental policies. For example, consumers using travel mugs may be disappointed to know that there are some locations where their coffee is first poured into a regular paper cup for measurement purposes, which is then discarded after the coffee has been transferred to the reusable mug. Private contracts are often needed for proper recycling, as the coffee cups often cannot be recycled at smaller facilities due to the plastic lining which is relatively difficult to separate from the paper, increasing the cost and time for processing.
Due to the sheer number of coffee cups being used at ever-increasing rates, the issue needs addressing. A 2010 study estimates that Canadians use more than 1.6 billion coffee cups in a year, meaning that between 300 to 500 million trees are used, and about 400 millions gallons of water. Perhaps work should be done in the development of easier-to-dispose coffee cups, or more resources should be provided to recycling facilities for their processing. In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt for more people to try to use reusable mugs instead.
Both chains have declined to divulge much information regarding this issue though they have since stated that they are still committed to implementing recycling programs. Hopefully, this study, and the backlash they’ve experienced since, will encourage better enforcement for environmentally responsible waste management.
Leave a Reply