It's unquestionably a good thing that everyone is talking about saving the planet nowadays. Although we'll surely some day wonder why we thought what we did back in 2009 and 2010 was enough, it's really just good that the idea of going green isn't just secluded to a tiny minority. As thoughts regarding the environment have shifted, many businesses are rethinking a lot of their old practices and buying habits. Companies that don't care about anything but saving money are even looking at green products, even if they don't know it, as going green is now way cheaper than before. Let's examine one of the smaller things that most companies are still overlooking: disposable coffee cups.
Most Fast Food Joints Sort Of Have To Use Disposable Coffee Cups
Disposable coffee cups, for the most part, are purchased by only a few types of businesses: restaurants and, in some cases, offices. When it comes to a fast food restaurant, there's not much of a choice. Since they can't expect customers to return coffee cups, they have to give them the product in a container that is expected to be tossed. Unless someone develops a really innovative solution, fast food restaurants will have to continue to operate this way, creating a constant demand for the disposable coffee cup.
Sit-Down Restaurants Could Go Greener, But Is It Worth It To Them?
In those restaurants where people use dishes, though, the reason disposable coffee cups are used is generally due to money. They may not be saving as much money as they think they are, though. Although the up-front price is less, they're still repeatedly paying for disposable coffee cups when they could be re-using, saving a ton of waste. Of course, this would involve paying employees to clean the coffee cups. Is it worth the up front cost? The answer to that depends on many factors, including your dishwasher's pay rate, if your restaurant uses a machine and if it can handle the additional load, and the cost of the disposable cups over time. However, no one can argue that getting rid of disposable coffee cups would cut waste and help the environment.
Offices That Expect Visitors Use Disposable Coffee Cups
As a courtesy, many offices, such as lawyers and doctors offices offer free coffee to their visitors. This is, in some ways, similar to the fast food dilemma. Do you expect your clients to bring their own cups, or do you provide them with disposables? In the case of an office lobby, however, the solution is a bit simpler. Because the coffee is free, these offices have no financial stake in whether or not their customers get their coffee. Ironically, removing the disposable coffee cups, and therefore taking steps to help the environment, would probably be seen as rude by their customers.
Offices That Do Not Expect Visitors Have No Excuses
Some offices who don't see many, or any visitors, still provide disposable coffee cups. This is not only expensive, but it's also wasteful. Modern offices, especially those where employees have their own desks, can certainly expect employees to have cups of their own and, if the company is feeling generous, they can always hand out coffee cups with a company logo, or something else of interest to their employees. In this case, the cost savings would come quite quickly as disposable coffee cups are never ordered again. - 29947
Most Fast Food Joints Sort Of Have To Use Disposable Coffee Cups
Disposable coffee cups, for the most part, are purchased by only a few types of businesses: restaurants and, in some cases, offices. When it comes to a fast food restaurant, there's not much of a choice. Since they can't expect customers to return coffee cups, they have to give them the product in a container that is expected to be tossed. Unless someone develops a really innovative solution, fast food restaurants will have to continue to operate this way, creating a constant demand for the disposable coffee cup.
Sit-Down Restaurants Could Go Greener, But Is It Worth It To Them?
In those restaurants where people use dishes, though, the reason disposable coffee cups are used is generally due to money. They may not be saving as much money as they think they are, though. Although the up-front price is less, they're still repeatedly paying for disposable coffee cups when they could be re-using, saving a ton of waste. Of course, this would involve paying employees to clean the coffee cups. Is it worth the up front cost? The answer to that depends on many factors, including your dishwasher's pay rate, if your restaurant uses a machine and if it can handle the additional load, and the cost of the disposable cups over time. However, no one can argue that getting rid of disposable coffee cups would cut waste and help the environment.
Offices That Expect Visitors Use Disposable Coffee Cups
As a courtesy, many offices, such as lawyers and doctors offices offer free coffee to their visitors. This is, in some ways, similar to the fast food dilemma. Do you expect your clients to bring their own cups, or do you provide them with disposables? In the case of an office lobby, however, the solution is a bit simpler. Because the coffee is free, these offices have no financial stake in whether or not their customers get their coffee. Ironically, removing the disposable coffee cups, and therefore taking steps to help the environment, would probably be seen as rude by their customers.
Offices That Do Not Expect Visitors Have No Excuses
Some offices who don't see many, or any visitors, still provide disposable coffee cups. This is not only expensive, but it's also wasteful. Modern offices, especially those where employees have their own desks, can certainly expect employees to have cups of their own and, if the company is feeling generous, they can always hand out coffee cups with a company logo, or something else of interest to their employees. In this case, the cost savings would come quite quickly as disposable coffee cups are never ordered again. - 29947
