So Long Disposable Fountain Cups, You Will Not Be Missed!

It is official; there are no more disposable fountain drink cups being sold at uOttawa!

These have been one of the many items that posed such a challenge since they are not recyclable; they are composed of several different materials and (unlike coffee cups) there is no cost-effective way of separating/reusing them.

Not only were they not recyclable, but people often thought they were, which led to them contaminating the metal/plastic/glass category in the recycling stations at food service locations.

When there is simply too much of the wrong item in the bin (50%+), we sadly end up throwing it out; either the company leaves it in our garage or the employee just doesn’t have time to go through the bags of recycling and sort the items inside the recycling stations. But as of September 2015, we no longer have to worry about these cups! (Thank you Food Services!)

When you aren’t on campus, and do end up coming across a location that still uses these (most fast food locations), why don’t you just ask them if you can fill your reusable bottle/mug?

~ brigitte - waste diversion coordinator