Why Do Restaurants And Offices Still Use Disposable Coffee Cups?

By Deidre Connor

The latest buzz is about saving the planet, and that's definitely a good thing. Of course, some day we'll look back and think, "And we really thought that was going to be enough?" but, right now, it's mainly good that the concept of "going green" isn't just for the vegetarians and hippies anymore. Due to this, many basic things that every business has always used are being given thought all over again. Even if a company is only interested in their bottom line, they may find that going green is far cheaper than ever. Let's look at something that many companies rarely consider: disposable coffee cups.

Fast Food Restaurants Must Use Disposable Coffee Cups

Disposable coffee cups, for the most part, are purchased by only a few types of businesses: restaurants and, in some cases, offices. When it comes to a fast food restaurant, there's not much of a choice. Since they can't expect customers to return coffee cups, they have to give them the product in a container that is expected to be tossed. Unless someone develops a really innovative solution, fast food restaurants will have to continue to operate this way, creating a constant demand for the disposable coffee cup.

Sit-Down Restaurants Could Go Greener

In sit-down restaurants, however, the main reason they are still used is due to cost. In many ways, this may be a false savings. The price may be cheaper up front, but you're paying for those disposable coffee cups over and over again where you could, instead, be washing and re-using. However, this would also involve paying someone to wash those coffee cups. Would it be worth it in the end? I suppose that depends on a lot of factors, such as how much you pay your dishwasher, if you use a dish washing machine, and just how much those disposable coffee cups cost you. There's no doubt, however, that doing away with the disposable cups would be better for the environment.

Why Do Offices Still Use Disposable Coffee Cups?

Lots of offices that get a lot of visitors, as a courtesy, offer coffee free. This is kind of similar to the dilemma with fast food. Can you really expect clients to supply their own cups? However, with the office lobby, there is a simple solution, although it may not be socially acceptable just yet. Since the coffee is, after all, free in the first place, there's no financial reason these offices have to provide coffee at all. Unfortunately, getting rid of disposable coffee cups, even if it's to help save the environment, would likely be considered rude by customers.

No Excuse For Offices That Have No Visitors

Is there really a point for offices who don't see visitors much at all to still have disposable coffee cups on hand? Not only is this wasteful, but it's expensive, too. There's no reason that a company can't provide permanent, washable coffee cups to their employees instead of paying for disposables over and over again, and that's if employees don't already have their own cups, as many do who have their own desks. These companies would very quickly see a money savings when they stop ordering disposable coffee cups. - 30543

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