Whenever I show up at Starbucks to get my mid-afternoon hit of caffeine and have left my travel mug at home, I mentally rebuke myself. It actually pains me to enjoy the fruits of labor from a favorite barista to then throw the cup away as I'm walking out the door. "What a waste" I chant to myself while starting up the car, "if only I had remembered" as I pull out of the parking lot.
In such a busy life, it can be hard to remember all the little tricks that we use to be eco-friendly. Don't even get me started on the times that I have brought all my groceries to the counter and, as the cashier starts to ring them up, I remember (for the third time this week) that I have left my reusable bags in the car, again.
So you can imagine my excitement when I came across an article about Starbucks new initiative to get all their cups recyclable by 2012. While the cup itself looks like a pretty good candidate for the recycling bin, there is a thin layer of polyethylene plastic coating that prevents it from being recycled in many communities across the States. This translates to nearly 3 billion cups in landfills each year. What a shame.
Until Starbucks has reached its goal, I encourage everyone to bring their own travel mug when buying their favorite latte or triple red eye special. Every cup counts!
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