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Sip, return, repeat’: US city tackles throwaway cup culture with first-of-its-kind system
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
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Forget sanitation, why are we making any kind of environmental solution out of plastic? Can people not bring a metal cup to the coffee shop?
Using a thin walled metal cup would be super hot and burn people. But using an insulated metal cup would get people to keep them. Idk how to solve that. Make something safe but worthless enough to return.
Ask people to bring their own washed cup with the appropriate capacity. If they don't have one, provide them with a reusable cup they have to pay extra for.
You have to make people pay to overcome the path of least effort that single use plastics opened.
Just like paid plastic bags in supermarkets, I believe it works well.
Yep: What has worked to fight climate change? Policies where someone pays for polluting, study finds
I have a sneaking suspicion that at least in some US states this would be problematic with local health departments. I do not know, but it seems these departments might look askance at Joe Schmo handing an un-verifiably “clean” container into the food service area and hands of the workers.
I suspect that making metal insulated cups is cheap these days. Perhaps this could solve that. I doubt people would hoard mountains of them. Then it becomes a matter of paying for the hoarded ones. People hoarded and still do some glass bottles where glass bottle replacement schemes exist/have existed.
Thinking more on this point, a genuine replacement for single use plastics for beverages could be a soda can equivalent, cheap, double wall aluminum container. If someone can make such a container for low enough cost, that could be a solution since aluminum is infinitely recyclable.
Metal as a whole but especially aluminum transfers heat really well the way to stop that is to create a vacuum between the walls of the cup which costs significantly more than plastic forming, then that vacuum can be readily damaged if it’s dropped and it’s even recommended that it isn’t put through heavy dishwasher cycles which both are likely to occur. Finally you have the issue that people would just keep them for home as the double walled cups can be expensive which would mean they aren’t available in shops and thus you have to use more single use plastics. While plastic cups don’t sound great this plan would reduce overall plastic usage
Most people stop for coffee on their way somewhere. They don't want to be carrying a cup around all day.
Takeout cups should be environmentally friendly, or not offered at all. If you can't make it green, make time to sit down for your coffee (or put up with your own travel mug).