Plastic bottles - re-fill

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I was sitting in a busy cafe the other day full of commuters. I made a few interesting observations… One was that you could have your drink in a mug which in my opinion always tastes a bit better anyway, and certainly as the winter draws in it makes you think of being back at home after working outside, holding the sides of a mug with your cold hands to warm them up again.

Also available in the same cafe were disposable cups and just watching the number which were being collected from the tables in one cafe, in one hour was incredible.. My mind boggled as I day-dreamed of just how many cups that was, when multiplied by every cafe in the world just how many stadiums must be filled on an hourly, or is it on a minute basis!?

According to the Independent, if all of us who visit McDonald’s were to switch to reusable plastic cups, we could prevent 90 million disposable cups from being dumped. Placed end-to-end, they would stretch for more than 8 million kilometres, or 200 times around the Earth. Why not take this further and switch to reusable mugs which last longer than throw away
plastic cups?

Not only that, but I begun to think about how many hundreds of tons of wood are used every day to make disposable cups, and where it’s grown. Is it just cut down, or is it from sustainable forests? I am sure the cups would be cheaper if it wasn’t, and that makes me think a lot!

When Starbucks added the unbleached insulated outer layer to their new 10% recycled cups, rather than double cupping using bleached virgin paper cups, they saved the following astounding amounts: 11,300 fewer tons of wood consumed or about 78,000 trees, 17,000Mwh of energy saved enough to supply 640 homes for a year, 47 million gallons of wastewater avoided enough to fill 71 Olympic-sized swimming pools (Source: www.papercalculator.org)

8 comments have been made

  • Louise
  • 2nd November, 2007

I think you have both the fame and the popularity to win this one over !! x

  • JLouis
  • 3rd November, 2007

Yes ! I remember the Xmas market in Bonn (Germany). They changed plastic cups for regular mugs in the early 90s. They only charged a small amount if not returned. Why not in cybercafés ?

  • Laurence
  • 6th November, 2007

Or maybe go back to Old style grease spoon cafes (chipped mugs and runny eggs lovely)
Economic forces made it , consumers define the live of any product given to them . (can also help my stop going in Starbucks and McD’s !! (yes i know Mcflurrys are tempting ;) )

Or are you like my other half and just seek out good coeffe ;)

  • Roy
  • 17th November, 2007

Just been listening to your BBC interview and had not heard of you before… so i thought i’d look you up. I’m not a sailing fan but a fan of people. You are truly an extraordinary person.
I am a Zimbabwean now displaced to South Africa. In Africa we see changes in the environment, the animals and weather on a yearly basis. S.A. is developing rapidly and with that comes all the first world waste but third world approach to management of it.
I think that the only way to change this is to change minds or people, get them to choose diferently.
You are an inspiration through your dedication, commitment and drive. Keep going.
… and i agree, coffee always tastes better in a mug! :)

  • Terri L.
  • 17th November, 2007

I too, just heard your on bbc on my way to the grocery this early a.m. First of all thank you for opening a window into sailing- a topic I have rarely thought about by will now explore thanks to your inspiring interview. I live in a small town in Kentucky, U.S.A. and yet again got the ’she’s such a wierdo’ look from the checker as I informed him that I have my own reusable shopping bags to put my items in. The ignorance of waste (in this case plastic shopping bags) continues to discourage me. Thanks for helping raise the awareness in the disposable cup arena too. Knowing that there are Reuse/Recycle soldiers around the world helps me to keep making a difference in my very small way. God Bless!
p.s. regarding the interview and the question on wingeing - please include your trials and setbacks. Sugar-coating your experiences reduces them to a b-rate movie.

  • Bill Bailiff
  • 17th November, 2007

I can appreciate the risk Ellen takes on her ocean adventures. In November of 1965 I crossed the Pacific Ocean from Japan to the U.S. in a 10,000 ton 609 foot warship, passing through the eye of a hurricane. At times the distance from the crest of the waves to the bottom of the trough was over 100 feet. Taking six days to transverse the hurricane , the warship rolled close to 45 degrees many times. In contrast I witnessed a calming of the South China Sea at times as smooth as glass. The dust of the land lay on top of the water as peaceful as a farmer’s pond.

  • Mark H
  • 18th November, 2007

Hello, Ellen,

Not to turn too far away from your point on plastic cups (which I believe are totally unnecessary and replaceable with re-usable materials), if you were to look carefully around the production area at Starbucks and other coffee and ‘burger outlets, you will see a small cylindrical sink containing, usually, spoons and other utensils. Into this sink is a stream of fresh water which runs constantly throughout the day. Imagine the millions or billions of gallons of such water wasted each day, from all such systems around the world. These running taps ought to be shut off at the same time plastic cups are replaced with something less harmful.

Anyway, good luck on your next wonderful adventure.

Mark

  • Eric
  • 18th November, 2007

Thanks to The Interview on BBC. Good show! I am inspired to sail again, having grown up racing Shark catamarans and Hobie Cats. Wishing you continued success! From Michigan (The Great Lakes State).

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This is the personal Blog of me, Ellen MacArthur. I will be posting regular updates and news on my life and passions…

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