The Coffee Cup Saga - To Compost, To Recycle, or To Landfill? What is REALLY happening?

I don't buy Starbucks coffee. Yet, I some how get intertwined in figuring out what the heck is going on. 

I do not enjoy their coffee, but more importantly, I do not agree with their practices (how they source their coffee), and their misleading methods and greenwashing - i.e. having bins in their stores to "take-back" their coffee cups, but having them merely end up in the landfill. 

Photo: starbucks.com

So, while these unaware citizens happily place their disposable, plastic ridden, petroleum lined cup in the bin, feeling good because they recycled....the truth is much harder to swallow.

To be fair, it's not just Starbucks, it's all coffee places where they do not have compostable cups but we think somehow they are being dealt with responsibly. 

Of course bringing ones own cup is the best option. But....what I think is scary is thinking we're doing good when we're not doing anything but the same, but only appears different. 

How do we change when we don't even know? When are a blinded and seduced into thinking we are "doing the right thing"? 

How do we get the word out? 

I just played the ol' rigamarole on the phone, being transferred from one person to another, as Starbucks failed to answer my, what I assumed were simple, questions:

1) Where do the cups go that are put in the "take-back" bins that I've seen in stores? 

2) They are meant to be recycled, but are they? 

Below is another exchange I had with them in 2013 but I had one again today, as I look for options for a client that comes into contact with a lot of Starbucks cups. It's frustrating how hard it is to find answers to such seemingly simple questions. Talking to multiple people at head office who are confused and dumbfounded as I ask, again, what I thought were pretty basic questions. 

Why weren't these questions answered from the get-go? As design was taking place? Why was this not on the minds of those who were birthing this? Shouldn't this be the most important thing we consider before we pump a product out into the environment, especially one that's getting consumed so rapidly and being tossed "away"? ....Surprise, there's no "away".

I'd love to tell my client, replace the Starbucks bistro with a local, organic, fair trade alternative....and, you know, I will suggest that...because then, we can be supporting local business, using compostable cups, or heck even refusing to serve in disposable cups - as one brave coffee company did in the US. Much respect their way. 

Maybe they won't take my recommendation, but I sure as heck won't be recommending they put in a bin that "take's back" Starbucks cups, only to then have them dumped into the same bin that garbage is...hauled away by the garbage truck. That's just misleading. 

Why are organizations not held accountable to this? Not liable to this? This is misleading the public. 

Source:Sudhasrinath.blogspot.ca/2010/04/
starbuck-left-me-aloneand-they-say-dotn

Another interesting thing? MMBC now accepts Starbucks (and other) coffee cups in your blue bins as a Metro Vancouver resident (and other areas I believe too). But are they actually being recycled? 

It seems odd to me that they are accepted residentially, but not commercially. Why are they not accepted commercially? Because no recycling facilities exist. But recycling facilities, whether for commercial or residential are all the same - all stuff comes to the same spot...so what is going on? What is  actually happening? I have my ideas, but plan to find out for certain. 

What I do know is, we really need to stop blindly enforcing rules, and actually start asking questions, and following through on those.....what's the point otherwise? 

It is my goal to research this further, look deep into it, and ask more questions - ask the companies, ask the haulers, ask our city councillors and other people involved in these regulations and mandates....do they realize how they play out in the "real world"? 

You can help too! Start asking questions, if you've already been asking them, great! Ask more! Or ask your friends to ask, too....! I don't think it's possible to ever ask enough questions (and that goes for all things in life, by the way). 

Pop into a Starbucks and see if they know what happens to the cups? Then share what you find out. 

Tweet @Starbucks and @RecyclingInBC @MultimaterialBC - ask them what's going on.

Gotta get the word out...... To be continued. 

Email response from CSR at Starbucks - Click to enlarge

If you can't read it in the image, here it is transcribed: 

Greetings Jocelynn!

Thank you for contacting Starbucks.

Thank you for your interest in our recycling processes.  Our disposable hot cups are made out of 10% post consumer recycled fiber for hot cupsused in the U.S and Canada.  I'm not sure if the wax lining is petroleum based or vegetable based, but the hot cups do contain an inner polyethylene lining which offers the side and bottom seam seal when heated.

As for your inquiry about the disposable cups being compostable or not, our cups are not rated as compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute or Cedar Grove Composting.  However, in some areas local composters will accept our hot cups even though they have a plastic coating.  Your best bet would be to ask your local composting hauler to confirm if they will accept them or not.  Clean cold cups may be accepted for commercial and/or residential recycling, but again, please check with your local hauler for confirmation.

Regarding the actual recycling process, and what the cups eventually become as the end result of the recycling process, we generally have no control over that aspect.  Most of our stores are located in shared spaces like malls, where it is often the landlord who controls waste collection and recycling, not Starbucks.  For more information on this please visit  http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/recycling.

Thanks again for writing us.  If you ever have any questions or concerns in the future, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

We would love to hear your feedback. Click here to take a short survey.

Sincerely,

Shana G

customer service

Received: 7/25/13 8:55:00 PM MDT
To: <info@starbucks.cust-serv.com>
Subject: Corporate social responsibility

Hi,I'm both personally interested, and on the green team at work and have a few people ask me every now and again at work....and in general, I've been having this conversation/debate with people for a while now... I'm hoping someone can provide me with the answers! It is with regards to your disposable cups! 1) what are they made of? i.e. a % of post-consumer recycled paper, and new paper, and is the wax lining petroleum based or vegetable based? 2) this leads me to my next question which is - can they be composted? My rule was "if you can rip it, you can compost it" ...I can rip starbucks cups... so I've been composting them, BUT not in my own place, I compost by taking my stuff to a drop spot (I have a worm compost too but, the cups don't make it in there)...so I have not yet had a chance to see if there is any plasitcy residual upon composting... can you provide any insight? 3) lastly - what do you do with the cups you recycle in your stores - i.e. those blue bins you've put out, where it notes the cups get recycled - could I please have information on what that process is? how they are recycled, where they are recycled, and what the end recycled product is? Thank-you!

Hide the garbage cans - the rest will follow aka 100% ZERO-WASTE Events

YEAR 1 (for me) - 2013

The Neighbour Savour IV Potluck was set to occur October 8, 2013 from 6-9pm. This year, I noticed that in the event write-up, the words Zero Waste appeared, that of course caught my eye! I was delighted to attend, especially because I saw the words "Zero-Waste" appear in the title.

I was excited to see how the evening would unfold, and how zero-waste would be approached - as the concept can have varied meanings for many people.

There were re-usable cutlery, ceramic plates, glasses, and mugs - a sure sign we were off to a good start. But then it came time for clearing the plates. I realized quickly that there was no spot for compost and my heart broke. I quickly decided I'd convert the glass container I brought my potluck item in (as it was now empty), into a compost holder, surely we wouldn't have that much assuming none of us were wasting food on our plates!

Unfortunately, someone thought that was a dirty bowl that needed washing, depite the sign next to it which read "Compost", dumped it in the garbage, and proceeded to take it to the kitchen. I had walked away and was cleaning up other stuff so I was not there to witness this or of course I would have explained the situation. But as I walked up to check on the scene, this is when I noticed my bowl was gone, and there was a lot headed into the garbage!

Asking people if they knew where it went, or what was going on, I was matched with looks of confusion and chaos as if I was speaking a different language. This confused me utterly because generally folks at a Village Vancouver event, especially one with Zero-Waste in its title would be more aware than most....

Long story short - I ended up taking the garbage  bag home with me (and to be fair, 1 big black garbage bag for 200+ people isn't so bad but....of course we can do better!)....and sorted it at home.

My roommate certainly wondered what the heck I was doing but she knew me well enough by now to not be too shocked to see me walk in the door with garbage - most people leave their front door with garbage.... I like to do things a little different. Actually I don't like it.....because it is the result of humanity being on auto-pilot, and of course it's entirely unsustainable for me to take garbage home, sort it, and clean the recyclables (waste water, no less)  that have been soiled with food waste.

Here are some pictures, diversion rate after I was done with it? 100%....

For comparison sake, what's Metro Vancouver's diversion rate, you ask?

The stats I have, as at the most recent Sustainability Breakfast in Dec 2014, showed a current diversion rate of 60%, which they would like to be at 70% by 2015 (I guess that's this year...felt a lot further away in December 2014), and 80% by 2020.

While it sounds admirable, I say...we can do better Metro Vancouver! Why not aim for 100%? Even if we don't reach it, isn't it better to have a goal of 100%? I think so! And 100% IS possible, I live it every day (so do the other members of the collective house I'm living in), and we did it at these events, too.  Photo evidence, below...it IS possible!

This was the bag that came back home with me. We rode the bus together, along with my friend Peter. A great zero-waste ally. 

Boo was my little helper. She is a zero-waste kitty warrior. :)

This is showing the contents now diverted, bag emptied (was washed to be re-used, as you can see foodbits in the bottom), and the food waste to the right, which was taken to the compost. 

Had this all been sorted before it hit the "garbage", it would not have required as much washing - which is of course why proper set-up is key!

 Here's what we ended up with when all was said and done.

Here is everything that was generated at the event - so all in all a very small load which is great! In large thanks to the re-usable dishware/cutlery. But ALL of it can be diverted from landfill, 100% diversion rate. The plastics/foil-lined/unnumbered hard plastics, and numbers that city doesn't take went to Pacific Mobile Depot through Village Vancouver monthly plastic drop-spot, The remainder composted and that's about it!  

YEAR 2 - 2014 - Better Equip, Lessons Learned

The following year, Neighbour Savour V, and I was ready. I contacted the crew and let them know I'd take the reigns to create and manage a zero waste station. I know what we went through last year, and I didn't want the same thing to occur.

Having these re-usable plates and cutlery is incredibly key! (We did have these last year, too!)

Got there early, and set-up shop, having the help of my good friend was incredibly useful too, her and I sat there a good portion of the night and helped people sort their materials into the proper bins. I also went back and forth into the kitchen to explain that soft plastics with food had to be first rinsed/washed before we could recycle them.

The ultimate step 1? Hide all garbages.  I can't stress this enough. When people cannot find the garbage then they start to think "what can I do with this?" They usually find a better solution to the auto-pilot garbage bag toss. We have become so accustomed to tossing stuff that when a garbage is present, even if it's next to a recycling bin and a compost bin, it will, more often than not, end up in the garbage....we get on auto-pilot, too many other things running through our minds. I get it. So just hide the garbage cans and it will save you a tonne of frustrations and grief.

Our zero-waste station. My friend and I sat on either side, and helped people when they came with materials to renew. 

I made signs for the station, but I made signs in other places too - the bathroom, for paper towel (ideally we'd have a re-usable towel roll, or mini hand towels but we worked with what we had).

This was in the upstairs bathroom (the only one I thought existed until mid-way)

Where the garbage used to be, I put this sign as I figured folks may have remembered from last year a garbage here. 

Shhh, don't tell: Garbages were sill around, (in the below photo they are at the very back and to the left), but no-one will search that hard for a garbage....however, just in case.... I put a little sign on it. Gotta play it safe. 

Garbages hidden? Check

It wasn't until mid-way through, as people started showing up, I learned there was another bathroom, downstairs, this time, genders were seperated. So, I made some signs, ensured the men's was clear and replaced the garbage with the compost collector. :) Phew, close call!

 So - what did we end up with?

City recycling (blue bin, and yellow bag), compost (green and white buckets), and one bucket of soft plastics/foil-lined recycling to go to Pacific Mobile Depot. I was able to take the recycling, and compost as I was living super close to the hall at the time, and Ross was able to take the soft plastics. Thanks Ross! 

A BIG thank-you to everyone who attended the event, used the system in place, and participated in a zero-waste potluck. We couldn't have done it without you! 

200+ people served. 

ZERO-WASTE. 

That's how it's done, yo, that's how it's done. 

Here are some other photos from the Green Party Gala - 2014 Fundraiser; also a zero-waste event. Warms my heart! :) Especially nice to meet and work with the event coordinator who was equally as passionate and dedicated to zero waste as I am - what a treat! 

Garbages? Hidden

Diversion Rate? 100%

...And, of course, Elizabeth May - doing her thing. :)

Waste diversion...aka I can't help but look in the bin! (part 1)

Coming home from Groundswell, I came in through the alley as I needed access to our compost since I had brought home our collective food scraps for the week on my bike. If you know me, you know that I can’t be by recycle/garbage receptacles without taking a gander inside…I just can’t.

I found….some binders, a fan that is in incredible condition,  some cords (internet, electrical etc), and a hanger…this was in the garbage. Fun to find, but ultimately sad…sad that people throw this away, especially when it’s in perfect working condition. Anyone need any binders/cables? I think I already found a home for the fan ;). 

In the recycling blue bin I rescued two bottles which had maybe a quarter of their product still inside – i.e. soap. One was a pump bottle for liquid soap which I  was excited about and took since I wanted a bottle to add the bulk liquid soap I got refilled at the Soap Dispensary – I was pretty excited to find this as I really didn't want to buy a soap I didn't really want, and accumulate more plastic, just to get the bottle! So…that’s good. 

The other one I just rinsed out a bit and then put it back, since I figured the city would deem it as “contaminated” and into the garbage it would go.

On that note, I wonder how much we all know about what goes into recycling and what ends up actually being recycled. While we feel good about putting x,y,z in our blue boxes – if it’s not actually an item the city accepts, it will ultimately end up in the landfill. 

So – a recap of what the city of Vancouver accepts (I specify Vancouver since this is where I am and it differs quite drastically depending on which area you’re located in!) Also, this should be noted too that this is only if you get City pick-up if it’s a private recycler (i.e. you're in a business, or condo complex, apartment etc) then what is accepted can be slightly different too. I was going to do my own bulleted list but then this is forever changing, as facilities become better able to accept more items (yay!) so…a link shall suffice

What goes in recycling bins! (see the link!)

What goes in the GREEN bin  (see the link!) --> basically, anything that was living, grew from soil, or would decompose if left sort of unattended, outside of the fridge, outside. I like to project into the future and imagine, if it got wet – would it ultimately mold and decay? Like…a t-shirt - the answer is yes, because it’s cotton (cotton being a plant), and I can visualize a sort of moldy t-shirt. But would plastic? Nope..the water would bead on it but it wouldn’t penetrate. So yes… I like that sort of visual for helping me navigate the potentially muddy waters…or composted soil?

In terms of what is or is not excepted, just want to draw attention to the image of soil/rocks. At first glance I was thinking to my self - "WHAT…that is clearly organic matter"…and then I realized – OH…it’s because you can dump that outside on the grass/soil/plant bed…etc..and if you live in a condo – well actually, if you live in a condo you probably are not having city pick-up it’s likely a private recycler so you’d want to check with them assuming it's of a similar vein, I’d  just sneak it in there anyway…OR …bring it down and add it to your landscaped areas around your building, or share it with a friend ;) there are always ways….always. :) And, it's fun to exercise our creativity and find them!

I digress, my actual point of wanting to write was to note the horrific chemicals in our traditional soaps and body products and I will use this one soap  I found as an example. However since this is already incredibly long....let's take it to a ...second blog post!

Zero Waste in Arusha ...continued.

It's funny how the universe works....and by funny I mean epically appropriate. Just as I was starting to want to do Zero Waste here, I met a guy whose trying to do just that in Tanzania. Check them out Active Green Society.

At work, as part of my quest for zero waste I encountered some alternatives which not only saved the environment, but our pocket book too. As  mentioned in my last post, I found a toner cartridge in the garbage...yikes! So I took it out and made a plan to deal with is responsibly....I ended up finding a place called Galaxy Computers here in Arusha that does re-fills - it took an email and a couple phone calls and I had my answer....all in all it wasn't that big of a deal to spend the extra time...but it seems many of us are too busy to take that time. It's that mindshift again that needs to occur . . .it's interesting where our priorities lie.....and it's also important to recognize how easy we get ourselves into these routines that don't get broken until we pause for a moment - i.e. our process had always been - buy new ink/toner....never refill, it wasn't even on the mind. Anyway suffice it to say, I was pretty stoked that we could refill our ink, and such a price difference too! To refill the blank ink cartridge was 5,000tsh, versus a new one...28,000...boom!

It's fun to find alternatives and feels so good to treat our mother with love and respect. Not to mention, during ones quest for alternatives, you end up meeting some great people that you may otherwise not meet. Start small and you eventually source all your different areas to recycle or upcycle this, re-make or re-work that! :)

On another note, banana leaves are RAD and multi-functional, and I love not having a drawer bursting with twist ties. . . . those pesky twist ties, impossible to recycle because they are both a debatable/indeterminable type of metal, coated in a paper that is debatably coated with plastic residue........and elastics...because all my produce comes bunched with ties and elastic.. . because of course one method isn't enough! I require no such drawer here because of .......banana leafs and creative minds!

I wonder how I can bring this back to Canada.... or what sort of alternative would grow there that would double as a tie to bunch delicious organic produce. . . oh the possibilities! The thought of a grocer without twist ties and elastics....makes my heart happy.

Thoughts?

When the City Bins just won’t Cut It (you may have to)

Edit: I'm moving the conclusion to the top, I think it's important - so now I suppose it would be more of an "executive summary".....  Long story short – consider what you’re coming into contact with in the first place, to avoid having to deal with it in the end, be creative and, most importantly, have some fun with it!! Show people how much fab you can create with old items that the majority of people wouldn't think twice about. Set a trend, and share with others what you've done! Go on, do it! :)"

Is it weird that I actually enjoy taking apart random items and sorting their parts into their proper “recycling” category? As I clean out my apartment and try to de-clutter and simplify my life, I realize all the random things I unintentionally accumulate – some are still in working order and I just don’t need them so I can give them away, but other things have lived their planned obsolete life and in most homes, would be in the dumpster and on the next train to the landfill. In an attempt to avoid throwing stuff out (while  trying to consider everything that comes into my life that may inevitably end up in the landfill to avoid it in the first place) I get down to business. And, by that I mean – bust out my tool kit. A handy thing to have, I’ve realized, when trying to recycle those impossible-to-recycle-multi- material-glued-fused-je-ne-sais-quoi items. Or, as my new found enviro friend calls them “CHARMing items” which stands for “Crazy Hard to Recycle Materials” and it’s so very appropriate as they do tend to charm their way into each and every household. So, WATCH OUT! 

With that, I decided that on my journey to split apart and dismantle random items in hopes of properly recycling them, I’d take some photos and share what I’ve learned along the way. I’m sure that many of you have these types of items in your home. It’s actually really fun, too, especially because you feel good knowing you tried your best. The series of questions, process or, hierarchy of homes is as follows (I started to make a flow chart as I thought it would be both fun and educational, but it might just be easier to have it like this :))

1.   Is it really time to get “rid” of this item?

2.     Do I really have no other use for this item? Google it and find out what others are doing! You’d be surprised at how many great ideas there are.

3.     Could someone else benefit from this item? i.e. Can it be given away?

4.     Is it just one type of material, or easy to split up? Can it be recycled with city recycling?

5.   Is it toxic or has the potential to be toxic if dismantled? Take it to where facilities exists (Fire  Stations  usually but just Google it and don't risk harming yourself and the environment further)

6.     Is it electronic, or battery powered? If yes dispose at the proper facilities – in Van that would be electronics recycling depot but a lot of other stores now are taking in old appliances and such – both private and city run here’s an example Unplugged, which London Drugs takes part in, but they now have their own take back program, too. Google is your friend in many of these questions! 

7.     If you’ve deemed it OK to disassemble yourself – then have at –er …this is my favourite part!

Things I’ve disassembled (see photos) – electric toothbrush heads (note: only the head, the base is re-used and if it eventually breaks down, I will take it to an electronics recycling place), old pens and highlighters, toothpaste tube, make-up containers/brushes (from o-so-long ago).

This was a sneaky highlighter with many "intricate parts" i.e. metal in obscure places.

This is why it's best to consider what you buy before hand - ideally something that can easily break into its parts and be recycled accordingly. 

Metals grouped on the left (in a container that was part of a circular highlighter...so unnecessary), plastics on the right, and highlighter innards in the middle (which I wasn't entirely sure what to do with - so they were "recycled" to Urban Woodwaste) - anyone have ideas?

Close-up of the infamous metal parts in items you'd think would have, no metal. All I can do is imagine the amount of work and effort that went into mining for those and how so many pens and highlighters are tossed each day in offices - mostly because people just don't know, as well, there is an endless supply of new ones. Re-Think time. 

Miscellaneous, hard/rigid plastics

Taking apart a rasor, and miscellaneous old make-up items (from when I was in jr. high/high school) 

This is one of those eyelash-on-one-side-eyebrow-on the-other-brushes - again metal within plastic that would have likely just been tossed.

A mascara brush - the inside is metal, the bristles could be composted IF they are not a plastic, likely that they are. Again - best to just avoid this stuff because it's tremendously ridiculous to recycle. 

"The Metals"

Ah yes, the infamous toothpaste tubes - has anyone ever seen what they look like inside? This was my first time. 

Metallic laminated plastic in more plactic :(

The two plastic portions on the left was put into rigid plastics for Pacific Mobile Depot, the metally remnants were placed in my Bottle Brick.

You’ll notice that the items I pull apart are typically the following three:

1)     Miscellaneous metals: which when I see them now I have this vivid image of a mine site, and people/machines working at ravaging the earth for metals, blood, sweat and tears of both people and mother nature. Really makes me think – so many individuals worked so hard for this metal to end up in my pen that I barely use. The environment worked even harder at restoring the land and recovering from the mine site's impact.  Now that it’s ended up in my toothbrush,or pen, or whatever else I have lying around, and it’s life is complete with me, it’s taken me even more work to remove it properly.  So much environmental impact and energy used for one teeny tiny piece of metal that really didn’t improve my life. Note: these items if aluminum will go into the blue bin recycling, if they are scrap metal (e.g. steel - can test if it's magnetic, if yes, then steal, if no, aluminum) and they will be taken to Pacific Mobile Depot.

2)     Miscellaneous hard plastic pieces: go into my “hard plastic” recycling bin and will be taken to Pacific Mobile Depot

3)     Neither plastic, nor metal - I really have no clue and need to google what to do with these! Ex: inside of pens, the felt tube inside of pens/highlighters but as mentioned above - Urban Woodwaste was where these specific ones were taken. I'm still not convinced that's the best place since they do end up burning it for fuel, well, that and, I'd rather just avoid it in the first place.

Some cool ideas I found whilst searching online – in my steps before finally disassembling – were for pens – a lamp, or a name-tag holder for your garden.

....and that's just a start!