Friday, November 28, 2008

Double Cups

I used to drink coffee frequently. This year (since January), I have had maybe three cups of coffee, all decaf. I had a cup of decaf yesterday from Tim Hortons. Of course, the franchise should be called Tim Horton's but that's another issue.

Lately, there has been tons of discussion about disposable coffee cups and how they are filling up landfill sites. Some people suggest a tax on these cups, while others want to make sure coffee shops use the kind of cups that can be put in the green box. It makes little difference to me, since I rarely buy coffee, but I wished I had taken my mug from my office with me.

So, I asked for a small decaf and she hands it to me and I walk over to join my colleagues and discover that I had been double cupped. I didn't ask for double cups. I didn't want double cups. I know that the coffee is hot, but is it hot enough to double cup? What am I supposed to do with that extra cup? I am sure that if Tim's stopped double cupping, it would have a big impact on landfill sites.

This reminded me of a time in Starbucks when a colleague asked for double cups and he was told that they don't double cup. Instead, they gave him the cardboard sleeve. That has to contain less waste than a double cup, and you can put the sleeve in the paper recycling.

Next time, I am saying no to the double cup. Suddenly, I am thinking about bras.

I think I need a nap.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I keep a couple of those sleeves in the car so I can re-use them if I have to.

But we rarely go out for coffee at all these days -- just an occasional vanilla bean latte from the Second Cup, and that maybe once every couple of months. I should remember to bring my portable cup, but I never do.

mister anchovy said...

You could always bring your own mug and ask for coffee in that, or alternatively, simply make your own coffee.

A said...

I never thought I'd say this: Good for Starbucks!

I don't drink coffee, but there's this cafe I go to for tea that uses mugs for their "for here" orders. Since most people who go to that particular cafe drink their coffee there it cuts down on their waste by quite a bit.

Super Happy Jen said...

I think it's totally lame to ban everything that's environmentally unfriendly. There was also talk about banning plastic grocery bags. People need to have little things they can do to pretend to be environmentally conscious, like using a reusable coffee mug or bringing their own bags to the grocery store. If you force people to do it, it takes away all the warm fuzzies.

BTW: I don't drink coffee, it's for grown-ups.

Bridget Jones said...

Those sleeves don't do much insulating for the coffee at the office for me. I usually double cup.

If you can put treated cardboard into the plastic recycling (like milk cartons) shouldn't it be possible to do the same with coffee cups? In Canada we can't use enough of the recycled paper.

Liz said...

You mean Tim's last name isn't Hortons?

tweetey30 said...

Oh brother if you are thinking about bra's...Yikes... But I dont drink coffee. Not even at work when I get them for free. I dont care for the strong coffee. No thanks. The flavored coffee is good but not good enough for the heart burn afterwards..

Maia said...

Much like plastic bags, I think paper cups should be done away with. That, or place a charge on them.

That double cupping sounds silly.

And just for your info, when I saw your post come up in blog lines, I automatically thought you were talking about bras. What does that say, huh?