Dunedin Café Keeps 35,000 Disposable Coffee Cups From Landfill

July 05, 2017

In 2016, a New Zealand café on the Otago Polytechnic educational campus replaced disposable coffee cups with ceramic cups and, one year later, reports that so far it’s saved 35,000 throw-away cups from going to landfills, according to Stuff. The café is also using ceramic bowls and even recycling its food scraps by feeding them to the Polytechnic’s worm farms or redistributing them through local food share programs.

This proves that our throwaway world doesn’t really need disposable products to survive. It’s devastating to the Earth that we’ve created a disposable “culture” of sorts, but it’s uplifting that this café also reports that they’ve suffered no loss in profits or patrons — meaning we should be able to do this anywhere, especially in the U.S., where nearly 260 million tons of municipal solid waste are generated annually.

Food waste is actually the second largest component of waste sent to U.S. landfills, making up 18 percent of the waste stream, while yard trimmings make up another 7 percent. When combined, this organic waste makes up the largest share of U.S. trash, more than any other material, including paper and plastic. In all, the food waste alone amounts to more than 30 million tons of waste entering U.S. landfills every year.

The good news is that, like this café, a coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutions, farmer groups and civil society working to reduce food loss and waste, found that businesses have significant financial incentive to reduce food waste, saving an average $14 for every $1 spent toward that end.

You, too, can save money and help reduce waste by refusing to buy products packaged in paper or plastic (which also helps your health because you’ll be purchasing mostly whole, fresh foods). Next, save money on leftovers by using only glass dishes and storage containers, rather than buying plastic wrap and bags. Properly recycling and composting can also save you money. In fact, residential food composting programs are currently being tested in a number of U.S. cities, including New York City, Austin and Milwaukee, and more than 180 communities collect food waste from residences.

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