Disposable Coffee Cup

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 cups are bought and used by two main types of businesses: restaurants and offices. In the case of fast food restaurants, there really is no alternative. Obviously you cannot expect a customer to return a coffee cup, so you give them their beverage in something that they are expected to throw away. Until someone comes up with a truly innovative solution, this is the way fast food restaurants will operate and, because of this, there will always be a market for disposable coffee cups.

Why Don’t Sit-Down Restaurants Get Rid Of Disposable Coffee Cups?

In sit down cafes, or other similar restaurants, disposable cups are usually a product of the bottom line. Unfortunately, the savings are probably false. Although each individual purchase is certainly less, paying for the same product over and over again when you don’t have to is very wasteful since they could buy re-usable cups instead. Of course, someone would have to clean those cups. Is it really worth paying someone to do that? Well, that would depend on a lot of factors, including how much disposable cups actually cost you, if you are currently using a machine with unused capacity, and how much you pay your dishwashers. No one, however, can say that you wouldn’t be cutting down on your waste production considerably.

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.

Why Do Those Offices That Don’t Have Visitors Still Use Disposable Coffee Cups?

Some offices who don’t see many, or any visitors, still provide disposable 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 mugs 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. cup that keeps drinks cold