JIHEE (MARIE) PARK
<Staff Writer>
A great number of Canadians wake up to coffee, and before the day ends will have had several more cups of something hot. As a society that spends so much time on the move, the impracticality of carrying around a standard ceramic mug has long been presumed by much of the public, especially so for the busy, thirsty students of Ontario’s universities. Thousands of students buy drinks en route to class, for meals, and to study. Hot drinks are as much a part of Canadian culture as the cold climate, but can we remain ignorant about the impacts the use of single-use paper cups have on our environment?
To give some perspective and scope, here are some statistics from a 2009 study released by McMaster University: each day, a net of 1.2 million cups and lids are generated in Toronto and sent to landfills; the estimated weight of this material being 5006 tonnes every year. Frequent coffee buyers account for 4505 tonnes per year, or 900,000 cups per day. As a comparative statistic, waste generated by plastic bags in Toronto is estimated through a municipally funded audit at just over half of the coffee cup waste, at 2746 tonnes per year.
If stacked one on top of each other, these 1.2 million cups would be the height of 216 CN Towers.
Clearly, the paper cup is not a problem to be thrown in the bin, as we habitually do so often.
Waste reduction is always the preferred method over recycling, and this is certainly true of coffee cups. This is because, for various reasons, coffee cups are not recyclable. The City of Toronto has studied potential options, from single stream recycling to green bins, but, simply stated, reducing the production of disposed coffee cups better solves the problem. The paper cup deceptively looks like it is simply made of paper, but in order to hold hot liquids and keep its shape; it is lined with a layer of plastic coating. This makes it difficult to recycle, and precludes composting. A standard paper coffee cup placed in a green bin for a year leaves the plastic lining almost fully intact.
Coffee cups in blue or green bins are problematic for other reasons; it disrupts the proper sorting of wastes, contaminating otherwise recyclable collections just like garbage does.
Other disposable alternatives to paper cups have come up over the years, like biodegradable versions of the familiar cup. These are paper cups lined with a different material that is plant-based, and in theory is capable of decomposing along with the paper component of the cup. However, biodegradation of these cups requires specific conditions (high heat and humidity) not met at the composting facilities in the Toronto system.
Biodegradable packaging has seen an emergence in usage, and pushed by marketing moves to promote their environmentally friendly characteristics. But this “buying green” trope is often limited in helpfulness, as it removes much of the guilt factor in using a disposable item. This mentality could potentially blind users to the rising problem of garbage, as a misplaced sense of do-good in using a “green” product could reduce the desire to cultivate waste-reducing habits.
A very Canadian comment in this issue is the popularity of the “Roll-up-the-rim” contest, held annually by the icon of Canadian franchises, Tim Horton’s. The contest encourages the purchase of hot drinks in paper cups, and even rewards one in eight for doing so. The idea may be an amusing and enjoyable take on the lottery, but it is disheartening to know that even a small prospect of a win is enough to perpetuate an environmentally hazardous habit. This year, when the contest comes rolling around, it would be a good opportunity to self-reflect on what is more important – a prize for personal gain, or creating impetus for change for the good of the environment by refusing to use paper cups as an example.
Osgoode clearly has good reason to support sustainability initiatives, as much as other educational institutions. As places of learning and personal development, schools need to give students of all disciplines and ages awareness about the most pressing issues in the community.
This week is Lug-A-Mug Week, presented by the Environmental Law Society Sustainability Committee. Start today, if you don’t already, to make some room among your textbooks for a reusable mug.