Waste Free Wednesdays - Coffee Cups To Go

Photo by Chandru Ramkumar

Never thought too much about stopping for coffee while running errands?  I understand, I do the same thing.  As far as reducing waste, the problem doesn't rest with the coffee, but with the paper cup that it comes in.  Did you know that Americans alone use 16 BILLION paper coffee cups each year?  Yes, seriously. That is more than 6.5 million trees each year. Not only does that create 253 million pounds of solid waste yearly, but before those cups become waste it takes 4 billion gallons of water - enough to fill 6000 olympic size swimming pools - just to make those cups in the first place. And because they are coated with a plastic resin called polyethylene to prevent leaks, the cups cannot be recycled. Before you calmly explain that you are responsible for just one or two cups a week, remember that no one person is using 16 billion cups a year.  Like almost everything else with major impact, both positive and negative, it is a group effort.

How hard is it to just toss an empty travel mug into your car or bag?  Trust me, I've done it.  It's pretty darn easy.  And some coffee shops and vendors will even knock a little off your tab for providing your own cup. Win-win situation if you ask me. I keep a clean plastic one in my car in case I forget my favorite one on the way out the door in the morning, but I rarely have to use it simply because now I have gotten into the habit of bringing a mug when I leave the house.

Well, it's my version of a mug anyway.  I drink out of a simple mason jar.  While this is quite a trend right now in party planning and even at rustic weddings, it is also another very basic and reasonable use for one of the most reliable and useful products on my house.  I love mason jars.  They are durable, free from weird chemicals, non porous, easy to clean and in the event that one breaks the pieces are recyclable. I use them for canning, of course, but also for dry food storage, with a soap pump added to the lid for dish detergent in the kitchen, for starting fresh sprouts on the kitchen counter, for making homemade yogurt and yes, even as a coffee (or bloody mary) cup.

I do prefer it when my cup has a lid.  With 4 kids and a large dog it's only a matter of time until someone bumps my arm and sends hot coffee sloshing all over tender skin or a carefully mixed cocktail splashing into the keyboard of my new laptop (true story there, folks!)  Pinterest is full of ways to craft your own straw top from the original 2 piece canning lid or punch a hole for the straw in a cute cupcake paper for color coordinated party ware.  More power to you, crafty ladies out there!  But for my daily cup of joe, I ordered myself a nifty reusable sip top made just for mason jars (wide mouth or regular, sip top or straw top) from Cuppow.  It's BPA free and dishwasher safe.

Hot coffee in a glass jar does make it a bit tricky to grab, but I just crocheted a sleeve out of cotton for mine.  If you aren't too keen on the yarn and hook idea, just grab a sock that has lost a mate and cut the foot off of it.  The remaining cuff? Instant mason jar sleeve.  Added bonus to the sleeve is that it not only protects your hands from hot beverages, but it also prevents a condensation mess when you are enjoying an iced drink.

Now look at how green you are!  Saving the planet, one coffee cup at a time!