Drawing the Line: Disposable Coffee Cups
One of the biggest questions I get is how can we eliminate disposable coffee cups on campus. Normally I tell people that there is legislation coming from the Ontario government that might actually deal with this problem. (check out the Waste Free Ontario Act).
But as the recent climate marches have highlighted, we need action now!!
So let's imagine how we could eliminate coffee cups on a campus like that of uOttawa and what that might look like.
Let's start with some background...
FACT #1 - uOttawa has a disposable coffee cup problem.
Every day, about 10,000 (yeah that's ten with three zeroes) disposable coffee cups are purchased and likely tossed on campus. The number is kind of staggering; stacked end to end, these cups would reach more than twice the height of the CN tower. When tossed into garbage bags, well.... let's just say that these cups fill hundreds of bags.
FACT #2 - Franchises have a lot of control over their packaging
You might think to yourself that the University could just tell a group like Tim Horton to 'stop it with the cups'. You might think that we could add a cup tax or get them to offer more of an incentive to bring a reusable mug. You'd be wrong. All franchises are controlled centrally and can't really change from location to location. One Second Cup can't decide to change their cups or their prices without the approval of Second Cup Central.
FACT #3 - Convenience is king
It might not surprise you to know that if something is convenient, it will be the first option people choose. Disposable coffee cups are convenient because they easy to distribute, don't need to be collected afterwards, and can just be tossed out... no cleaning required. And since garbage magically disappears at the end of the day, you just can't get more convenient.
Now that we are anchored with some context and facts, let's talk about some solutions.
AWARENESS
There is growing concern that awareness about environmental issues isn't having as big an impact as people would hope. Often these campaigns tell people what the problem is but don't internalize the message. In this case, how does a disposable coffee cup make my life worse?One example we had here at uOttawa was when we switched our "garbage" signs to read "landfill". The hope was that people we see the signs and think twice about their choice. We found that there was no change in recycling behaviour because of these signs. Instead, the sign that did make a change was one where we showed people what items do go in the garbage bin.
Beyond the tricky messaging, there is also the fact that people don't really see many of the posters and ads that ask them to change behaviour. And if they do see them... do they care? On campus, as is the case in most places, there is a discount for bringing a reusable mug to any coffee shop. Even though people know that they can save money... it doesn't seem to increase reusable cup rates (at last glance, less than 5% of all sales on campus involved a reusable mug).
RATING - meh
COMPOSTABLE CUPS
Another solution is to simply switch all disposable coffee cups over to compostable coffee cups. Some coffee shops, like Bridgehead, have compostable cups and Premiere Moisson on campus even has compostable lids for their cups.Problems that remain are that the compostable cups still take up a bunch of space in bins, they still need to be shipped away, and they do come at a higher cost... but they don't require any real behaviour change so they are easily adopted.
However, all coffee cups can already be composted on campus. Our service provider allows us to do this because ultimately the organics we produce aren't used for growing food. Disposable coffee cup users still toss their cups in the wrong bin anyhow, so ultimately this option is a bit of a dud.
RATING - mostly just green washing
TAXING CUPS
Now this is the option that I hear most about. Why not just add a cup tax?Well there are a few things to consider. First, the cup tax needs to be pretty steep. Trent University implemented a tax on their self-operated coffee shop and found that the tax needed to be at least $1 per cup or else consumers would ignore the additional cost. Convincing people that they should pay that much might not go over so well.
The other problem is that this only works for non-franchised coffee shops. Tim Horton, Second Cup, Starbucks, and Premiere Moisson are all franchises and cannot change the cost of their product at one location. A cup of coffee from Starbucks costs the same amount on campus as it does around Ottawa, as it does around Canada... etc. So even though a $1 per cup tax would be really effective, we can't really do it on campus with our franchises.
RATING - the only truths are death and cup taxes
BAN DISPOSABLE CUPS
So this might seem like overkill, but bans aren't really a new thing. In 2010, the University of Ottawa banned bottled water sales on campus and this had some positive impacts on campus. However, coffee is a different beast. For one, water can come out of fountains so it is easily accessed - coffee, not so much. Another issue is that coffee is hot so it often requires a special vessel to hold it. Water can go into anything, mason jars even, and is easily cleaned between uses.So if coffee cups are banned, there needs to be an alternative. It just so happens that many coffee shops already have a solution. Coffee slingers, like Starbucks, have cheap reusable travel mugs that they sell for $2 at the counter. You can also find these cups at Tim Horton and Second Cup.
The downside is that you are creating plastic waste... but maybe not as much as people think. Since the travel cups cost $2, it wouldn't take long before consumers changed their behaviour to avoid buying new cups. Unwanted cups could be collected by the Free Store. But still, having to pay an extra $2 if you forget your mug might not make people happy.
RATING - draconian but effective
FREE REUSABLE MUGS
This option is becoming pretty popular. The idea is that travel mugs and ceramic cups are given away for free. The hope is that given the choice, you will choose to use a free mug instead of a disposable one. This option costs nothing to the consumer and increases the possibility that they might keep that reusable mug and start using it regularly.Unfortunately this doesn't factor in the costs to the establishment. First of all, you have to get access to a bunch of free mugs that you don't mind being stolen. Next, you have to make sure that there is a common size so that people are assured to get the amount of coffee they want. And of course, the cups that are returned need to get cleaned, which takes time and money.
Sure, a bunch of these mugs could be taken from the Free Store for no cost, but that doesn't mean that people are going to use them when given the choice. One of the reasons why people use disposable mugs is because of the sleek branding that goes into them and the rewards that can go along with them. Starbucks has festive mugs, Mc Donalds has a rewards system, Tim Horton has Roll Up The Rim. So there are tonnes of incentives to not use free mugs.
RATING - you get a mug, and you get a mug,... everybody gets a mug!
INCENTIVES
We are all familiar with incentives. Bring a reusable mug and save a quarter; the twelfth coffee is free; etc... And we could argue that they don't work because we have had them on campus for years with no real impact. But there is a change brewing (see what we just did right here ☺).Traditional incentives may have peaked but there are new opportunities. Social media contests are an example of how small prizes can garner big engagement. One interesting model is the one put forward by Cupanion. The model is simple, reusable mugs have a barcode on them and every time you use your mug you get recognition. Your cup count can be posted online and after a certain number of uses you can get free coffee. The company Cupanion also randomly selects active users and gives them prizes.
The downside, because there is always a downside, is the cost. These systems aren't cheap and someone has to cover the cost. Also, the program only functionally works on campus. This isn't the worst thing, but these programs also
create a focus on doing the right thing only to get a reward.
RATING - one plus one equals mug
REVERSE VENDING MACHINES
The last option we are going to look at is the reverse vending machine. This is exactly what it sounds like... instead of you paying to get something from the machine, the machine pays to get something from you... in this case reusable coffee mugs.You have to pay for the reusable cup (something like $2 or $3) but it is only a security deposit. You can keep the cup for as long as you want and when you want your money back, drop the cup off in the machine and collect your money. These systems already exist through companies like OZZI, who also do other forms of reusable containers.
Of course, just like other options, there is a cost to be paid for the system. The vending machines and the service to clean the cups has to be covered by someone. Also, since we've established that convenience is king, having to go to a vending machine to return your coffee mug might not be your cup of tea (and buying multiple vending machines to spread around the campus is cost prohibitive).
RATING - you've got the dime, we've got the time
*****
So what's the verdict? Well in my humble opinion the solution is a mix of a few programs. It is very likely that to get people to stop using disposable cups, you are going to have to ban them. Then, to make sure people have an alternative, only sell travel mugs at coffee shops.
This solution is a bit of tough medicine but offers a lot of positives.
- Better for the planet
- Builds a culture of mug reuse
- Save a bundle of money in recycling/composting costs... and so on.
I am interesting in hearing your opinion. Do you think that one of these programs could be the solution to our cup woes?
jonathan rausseo - campus sustainability manager
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