The fight against environmental pollution began to worry more and more people. The authorities of Los Angeles have identified an important step on the way to achieving the title of an ecological city. It is the reduction of the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, the most common of which are coffee cups. That is why many Los Angeles coffee shops have decided to remind the citizens of an eco-conscious approach. Los Angeles Name tells more about this.
Research
Local residents of Los Angeles visit a coffee shop at least once a week to treat themselves to a cup of coffee, tea, matcha or another drink, which is served in a cup made of plastic, paper or polystyrene foam. It’s easy to forget about all these used cups. However, their number only increases every year.
Research by local companies makes it possible to analyze the environmental impact of one single-use cup. In 2022, professor Preetam Basu and Thanos Papadopoulos published their report on coffee and cup waste. It is worth talking about the main theses of the report:
- the entire life cycle of disposable cups needs a lot of energy: from the extraction of raw materials, further production and transportation
- their slow decomposition with a plastic lining can lead to the release of microplastics
- about 3 million tons of polystyrene are produced every year in the USA (the material takes about 500 years to decompose), of which 80% ends up in landfills. That’s about 25 billion disposable cups.
Disposable Styrofoam cups are popular due to their lightness and affordability but they are not biodegradable. At the same time, their improper disposal can lead to splitting into small pieces, which can cause harm to wild animals that may swallow them. The harm from using this material has forced some cities and states, including LA, to ban Styrofoam. Therefore, shops, restaurants and coffee shops serve less and less drinks in polystyrene packaging. One of the last chains that refused to use polystyrene products was the American international chain of coffee shops, Dunkin’ Donuts.
Disposable cup of the future
In 2018, Starbucks and McDonald’s teamed up with Closed Loop to develop the disposable cup of the future. Such a cup will become an alternative to disposable cups and will be subject to recycling and composting. Its development and implementation will help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
The activities of the non-profit organization Closed Loop are aimed at making disposable products environmentally friendly. It is known that Starbucks and McDonald’s invested $10 million in this partnership.
Solutions from Los Angeles coffee shops
- Some local coffee shops offer customers to utilize reusable cups instead of disposable ones. This is beneficial for customers as they receive a discount.
- Another solution is composting. Some facilities compost already used cups, turning them into organic material, for example, to fertilize the soil.
- There are coffee shops that recycle used coffee cups. This is an important and conscious decision. It means converting to new products, namely paper or cardboard.
- Biodegradable cups are a better alternative to disposable ones because they decompose within a short time.
While not all coffee shops are taking steps to reduce coffee cup waste, progress is being made. Los Angeles residents can also do their part by nudging local coffee shop owners in the right direction. Thus, you can bring a reusable cup with you and ask about recycling or composting cups. Giving preference to coffee shops that use biodegradable tableware is a solution that will also help.
Positive statistics in California
It is appropriate to add that California is a leader in the field of recycling, as well as in the adoption of eco-conscious laws. This is confirmed by numbers and facts:
- California became the first state to ban the provision of free single-use plastic bags to shoppers in stores in 2014
- California became the first state to ban restaurants from automatically providing plastic drinking straws without asking clients in 2019
- California’s San Francisco International Airport became the first in the country to stop selling water in plastic bottles in 2023. Selling it in glass bottles or aluminum cans became a more ecological alternative. If you bring your own empty bottle with you, you can refill it for free.
For now, the best solution is reusable cups. You can also reduce the amount of waste by using ceramic dishes inside the coffee shop. Visitors can take their own thermos with them. Studies have shown that to compensate for the emissions that are produced in the manufacture of a reusable cup, it should be used from 20 to 100 times.
