Coffee Cups

Truly, my journey started November 9th, 2019 when I began to think about what life would be like without plastic.   One of the biggest offenders of Single Use Plastic (SUP) I notice in the city of Seattle are single use coffee cups (58 billion are thrown away each year in the United States).    How could I lower my plastic footprint?   I’ve come to realize half of the battle to trimming your “WASTEline” is changing your habits.   If I remembered to pack my reusable coffee cup the night before, or place it near my keys, my battle is half won!    The second is actually USING your reusable mug while you’re out.   Through experimentation and observation of my own behaviors, I found solutions to the following roadblocks that kept me from using my reusable mug:

1. Reusable mugs don’t easily fit into a purse, backpack or briefcase.
   SOLUTION:  The Stojo cup!   It’s not always easy or practical to remember to bring a big, bulky reusable cup, and Stojo was a nice collapsible alternative.
2. Cafes don’t allow the use of a reusable coffee cup due to COVID.
   SOLUTION: Call ahead and support cafes that do.   Contact your favorite cafe to find out if they’ll support use reusable mugs.  I’ve found it helpful to announce I’m doing my best to save the turtles and forego plastic, and cafes often concur, and appreciate your plight. If you don’t have any luck, you can share this article with any cafe that refuses use of a disposable mug.   There is no reason not to use them if your mug is clean, and they are washing their hands regularly.    We have also learned the COVID virus is transmitted via water droplets.

A few pros and cons to using the Stojo collapseable cup…  I prefer to use my bulky porcelain cup which is NOT plastic, and quite stylish!

PROS:

• Collapsible, you can easily fit these in a pocket or purse.
• Ounce markings on the inside of the cup
• Cool collapsible straw!
• Easy to collapse!
• Dishwasher safe!

CONS:

• Taste left behind.   SOLUTION: Wash in the dishwasher, or by hand after you’ve consumed your cup of coffee.
• Plastic sleeve and lid.  COUNTER ARGUMENT: Purchasing just ONE of these cups will take the place of 156 single use cups I might purchase throughout the year.  Verdict: A little plastic in my Stojo is FAR better than a LOT of plastic waste otherwise.

PLASTIC-FREE CHALLENGE: Read the above links in this blog page.  Especially the link about 58 billion coffee cups.  It will blow your mind…

Love,

Cindy

11/9/18 – the FIRST day I refused to use single-use plastic cups!

The Stojo!