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Should I Recycle Or Compost Pizza Boxes?

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I got asked this question a few times recently, and the answer is pretty simple.

There’s no need to trash pizza boxes.  Place them in the recycling, but at least remove the waxed paper and excess cheese first.  Unless of course you decide to compost them.

Composting pizza boxes is your best option, especially if your town doesn’t accept them for recycling.

Rip it up into smaller pieces, and throw it all in the compost bin, including the remaining food stuck to it and even the waxed paper.  The waxed paper will take a bit longer to degrade, but it will eventually.

Worms also love cardboard, so you can always rip up the box and place it in your worm composting setup.  Cardboard is a great source of bedding, and they’ll eat it too.

Speaking of pizza boxes, check out this video:

GreenBox: Pizza Box Turns into Plates & Storage Unit

I wonder if single-use plate companies like Dixie are trying to shut this company out…hopefully not, because it’s a really great use of a clunky pizza box!  It seems like more and more single-use plates are #5 or #6 plastic, or worse yet styrofoam…both of which have a fat chance of being recycled.

As I always say, paper is only marginally better than plastic, but paper is always compostable, and its chances of actually being recycled are much greater than plastic.

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Humanure Handbook Review / Holy Crap, I Love My Compost Toilet!

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If there was any book I’d recommend, even to someone that isn’t interested in environmental issues, it’s Humanure Handbook.  I can confidently say this book is at the level of Silent Spring, and possibly higher ranking on my list than Rubbish.

How could a book about composting your bowel movements be important?

Urine, feces and food scraps are super high in nitrogen.  Leaves, cardboard, paper, straw, hay etc are all high in carbon.  When you mix these two components together, in time you get beautiful, fertile compost that our earth desperately needs.

What you don’t get is chlorine and sodium hypochlorite (amongst other things used in the water treatment process), and polluted air from burning off sewage sludge, or possibly worse having that sewage sludge spread on farmlands as a “soil amendment”, and then used to grow our food.

Jenkins goes into great detail about the history of feces around the world, from how 78,000 tons of humanure was bought for $31,000 gold in China, to how it has become a problem that seemingly no one wants to address.

Defecating in our water isn’t good.  Even myself, spending most waking hours reading about environmental issues in one way or another, sees how this doesn’t register as a huge problem at first observation.

We flush the toilet and it goes away, just like our trash gets picked up at the curb and disappears.  We forget about it, and that’s because very few of us ever confront it.  That being said, please go visit a sewer treatment plant, a trash incinerator (which you will be deceptively urged to call “waste to energy”) or a landfill.  All awesome eye openers.

We don’t notice what we breathe in, we don’t taste toxins.  Jenkins can get pretty grim at times (especially in the beginning) but I can’t argue with him whatsoever…he simply tells it like it is.

His solution is pretty simple: A compost toilet paired with a compost pile and a rain barrel, (for cleaning).  It goes without saying he’s an advocate of curbside compost collection as well.  While I am too, composting at home is ideal since there’s no point in waiting around for your community to start curbside compost collection.

I went along with his easy-to-follow instructions for building a “lovable loo” and needless to say I am very impressed.  It took me a couple hours to construct the toilet, and I love it.  The sawdust created from constructing it was the first addition to the bucket, how perfect.

[It lives in my basement next to the washing machine, not outside! I just wanted to get a good picture.]

I fill one 5 gallon bucket a week, and I have to make a trip to a local woodshop every few months to pick up my sawdust supply, which is a mutual benefit for sure.

I have a 3′ x 3′ x 3′ compost pile in the yard that is always cooking at a sustained higher temperature than I ever got without the humanure additions.  No matter how much material I dump in per week, the pile seems to stay the same size!

This is the magic of humanure composting.  Jenkins states to fill one compost bin for a year, then switch to a brand new pile for a year.  Once the second pile fills up after a year, empty the first one, which will be nothing but beautiful compost.

It’s not all perfect, though.  I’d say the trickiest part of the process, which I don’t recall being mentioned at great length in the book (time to read it a third time), is the dust issue.

Using fine sawdust can be a bit…dusty, of course.  I found that adding a spray bottle into the mix worked decently, but it is a bit too laborious.  I want to spend my time on the can reading a book, not spraying down sawdust.  Therefore, I just sprinkle the whole bucket’s worth of sawdust with some rainwater from my watering can.  Much, much better.

The way Jenkins does it, which I can’t really abide by due to space constraints, is to have a huge pile of sawdust outside next to the compost pile.  If it got naturally rained on from time to time, it would be much cleaner to work with since it would absorb plenty of moisture.

However, I’m a bit paranoid with having such a large flammable source exposed in the yard, which is yet another benefit to putting a tarp on the compost pile.  I’ve had people throw cigarette butts over the fence into the yard… so yeah.  One of those times I wish I lived in the sticks, like Jenkins.

All in all, the process takes about 10 minutes a week to complete, and I find it to be time well spent.  Every time I empty my toilet, I find myself thinking about what the hell I’m doing, but in a good way.  It puts pressure on me to consume less and less plastic materials, because other than that, most everything is recyclable or compostable.

If you’re really into the survival/prepper mentality, this skill is a no-brainer.  If we had an extended grid-down situation or lost access to water, a compost toilet would be critically important and I’m proud to have one.

The book ends with a great interview of Jenkins…by Jenkins.  It really takes all the typical questions asked and makes it look like naive, old thinking.  I won’t ruin it, you’ll have to pick up the book to enjoy it for yourself.

I’ll say it again- if you’re into environmental issues and want to learn about one of the most critical topics not being discussed, the Humanure Handbook will make you question your lifestyle at length while being an enjoyable read at the same time.

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Pa. bill would tax 2 cents on each new plastic bag (article)

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Originally posted here, but I had to repost it: http://articles.philly.com/2013-08-23/news/41437636_1_plastic-bags-100-billion-bags-leach

HARRISBURG – An area lawmaker wants Pennsylvania shoppers to BYOB (bring your own bag) or pay a fee.

Sen. Daylin Leach (D., Montgomery) has introduced a bill aimed at reducing the volume of plastic bags in the trash by imposing a two-cent fee on each new bag used by shoppers.

One penny of the fee would go to state recycling programs, and the other would go to the retailer to help with its recycling.

Leach said his bill – like those already enacted in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Washington – would encourage customers to shop with reusable bags while reducing landfill waste.

“Two cents is a small price to pay for a cleaner, more vibrant planet,” Leach said, who set up an easel with facts about plastic bags and a bag-recycling box outside his Capitol office. “However, our goal is not to collect the fee, but to encourage shoppers to make sustainable choices at the checkout counter.”

Statistics show that the typical family uses 60 plastic bags in four trips to the grocery store, he said.

No states have yet to enact such fees, but legislatures in New Jersey, New York, and Vermont are considering implementing them, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Lawmakers in Maryland (where at least two municipalities, the City of Takoma Park and Montgomery County, already have bag fees) this year introduced a statewide five-cent-a-bag fee, but it failed to win passage before the session ended this spring.

This week, several New York City Council members proposed a 10-cents-per-bag tax.

Kevin Shrivers, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses of Pennsylvania, called Leach’s proposal a “tax scheme” that would hurt average families and benefit only makers of reusable cloth bags – many of them foreign.

“It’s a tax on the consumer,” Shrivers said. “Leach’s assumption is that the plastic bags are used one time and thrown away, but people use those bags over and over.”

But Leach said only 1 percent of the 100 billion bags used in this country every year are recycled, while the rest end up in landfills or clogging the oceans and killing wildlife.

“Most shopping trips take a half-hour to complete, but the bag stays around for 1,000 to 5,000 years,” Leach said. “Not everything we do is about instant momentary convenience. We have to give some thought to the planet.”

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Bag the Bag. Use a Backpack…Or Your Hands.

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https://youtube.com/devicesupport

http://www.bagitmovie.com/

I’m sure you’ve all been inundated (hopefully) with the horrors of what happens to your plastic bags, and equally so what happens to your reusable bags as they get stuffed in a closet somewhere.

While this topic has been rightfully blown out, keep in mind it’s probably because it’s the most consumed item in the world…crazy, right?  500 billion per year.

I think it’s a good time to ask yourself the question- are you still accepting plastic bags?  The other day, I felt like such an idiot when I received one- I wasn’t asked, it just happened.

I’ve been trying to sell food service vendors on it to no avail-

“You know, if you just asked if someone really needed a bag instead of automatically placing their styrofoam clamshell in one, you’d save some money and look a bit more reputable as a result.”

Maybe that’s too snobby, but it’s hard not to be pissed off about it.  No one feels offended if they don’t get a plastic bag, period.

I guess the problem also lies with the people accepting them, too.  How long does your bag live for?  Ten minutes?  Could you really not carry your styrofoam clamshell, fork and bottled water with one hand?  How many times have you seen a full trash can with bags gushing out all over the place?

Bags get loose into the environment all the time, never hitting that landfill or worse the incinerator to make zero megawatts of “clean energy”.  They just blow away, downhill, into the gutters, into the trees, into the water, to get suntanned to the point of becoming little fish for the birds and other fish to eat.

What really bothers me is the plastics industry response that it’s your fault- clean up after yourself.  Of course, there’s no mention that the plastic bag recycling rate is in the single digits.

Lately all I’ve been thinking is screw the numbers.  While they are of course important, and you can’t manage what you don’t measure, the majority of us aren’t scouring the web looking for recycling data and then basing a decision on it.

For just a second, think about when it is exactly that you receive a plastic bag.  I’ve learned that if you try to change everything all at once, it’s annoying and within a short amount of time you revert to your old ways.

Therefore, let’s take a look at the following situations, and chip away one at a time:

-grocery store
-beer store take-out
-take-away meals (lunch, late-night, whatever)

My answer for the grocery store and the beer store: use a backpack.  That’s it.

For the lunch or dinner take-out scenario: refuse the bag, then ask them why the hell they wanted to give you one.  if you must, have a reusable bag ready.

Personally, I hate the standard reusable bags and I don’t use them.  A lot of the polypropylene bags have been found to contain lead, and simply don’t hold up for very long.  This is why the backpack is my top option, but for those situations where you end up going somewhere don’t have one, there’s the Chicobag.

Full disclosure: I am not an affiliate, salesman or connected in any way to the company…I simply feel like they are the best option I’ve seen.  The owner has even beat the plastics industry in a lawsuit…more on that in a moment.

A few months ago, I got one as a gift- if you’re not familiar with these and you’re looking to finally stop using plastic bags once and for all, this is a big step in the right direction.

While they’ve created several different models, the “micro” model is smaller than your fist and is attached to a carrabiner so you have it wherever you go.  You could wear it on your belt loop, although honestly it bounces around a little too much for my liking.  Some other spots for it include in your car’s glovebox, or attached to your bike saddle.

They’re nice because they’re made from durable polyester and expand to be just as big as their non-woven polypropylene lead-containing made in China counterparts.

While they are synthetic, the company accepts their bags back if they get damaged to recycle them into new products, which is better than sending it out for recycling and hoping something good happens to it.  If they’re still functional, they’ll donate them.

One last thing about the Chicobag- they recently were involved in a lawsuit in which plastic bag manufacturers sued them (in South Carolina, where no anti-SLAPP laws are present) for “irreparable harm” to their companies.

A SLAPP suit basically would allow for the plastic bag companies to outspend them in court until the opponent gives up.

Miraculously, Chicobag ended up winning, which is pretty amazing but of course the only possible result here.  Learn more about that lawsuit here:

ChicoBag Lawsuit

If you really want to get annoyed, check out what one of the losing companies in the lawsuit did: http://www.bagtheban.com .  While I shouldn’t be giving them any attention, I can’t ignore something this outrageous.  Contact them and ask how they can live with themselves: general@hilexpoly.com .

While the problems of the world are not just plastic bags, phasing them (and other plastics) out of your life is substantial for making an impact.  Further, it’s like any other change- once you really go for it, within a few days you don’t even notice it.  Be sure to follow it up by reducing other plastic consumption patterns you have going, BUT- take your time.

I had a few challenges along the way, but at the end of the day it just came down to breaking habit and changing behaviors once or twice.  After that, I never thought about it anymore.

Plastics really are the enemy when it comes to material choices- no one even knows fully what’s in them due to trade secrets and all that business B.S. that won’t be put aside in favor of human health.

While it’s hard to imagine a life without any plastic whatsoever, I know that you can drastically reduce the amount you take in by simply refusing a bag and identifying the situations where you consume plastic, eliminating them one at a time.

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The Truth About Composting Paper Cups

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(I reposted this article from my other website, crazyaboutcompost.com)

Can you compost paper cups?  The answer is yes, no and depends.

In the same spirit as my last post on composting waxed paper, I emailed a bunch of companies that produce paper cups and asked them if their cups contained a plastic liner, and if so, what kind was used.

With the exception of Solo and Chinet, all the other companies got back to me (although Dart and Solo appear to be part of the same conglomerate, and Dart replied).  I couldn’t tell if the customer service people were weirded out by my questions…am I the only person asking this?  Probably close to it, but hopefully not the only one.

My research into Solo was definitely the most peculiar.  I had no idea there was a (terrible) song dedicated to red solo cups, and then within that song saying that “within 14 years they are decomposable”… come on Toby- plastic doesn’t decompose, EVER- it just breaks into smaller pieces for the fish to eat.  Going further, there’s a Facebook fan page sporting over 45,000 likes…for red solo cups.

Anyway, Solo does have an “eco forward” product line called Bare.  Rejoice.  This cup uses a whopping 20% post consumer recycled plastic in its plastic cups.  I was hoping their eco line would have either cups made from PLA or paper cups with a soybean wax liner, but I guess you can’t have it all.  Avoid this company.  Is their competition much better?

I’m getting ahead of myself.  My point for doing the research in the first place was because I didn’t realize that nearly all paper cups have a thin plastic (polyethylene) lining inside of them, which is to keep the cup from falling apart (think coffee).  Surprisingly, even a great deal of the “cold cups” have a liner too.

I know from experience that it’s difficult to use a bioplastic cup with hot liquid in it…the cup falls apart pretty quickly.  But I also know that it’s possible to use a paper cup with a PLA (polylactic acid, a compostable plastic) liner with good results.  How about a doubly thick paper cup with wax?

What is the best solution if you have to use a paper cup?  Paper cups can go in the compost pile no problem, just don’t expect them to come out for a while, and they’ll remind you that you put them in there by leaving behind a plastic skeleton.

Adding plastic flakes to our soil doesn’t sound like a good idea, does it?  What we can see and remove from the compost pile doesn’t account for the plastic we can’t see.  I’ve learned that this definitely isn’t the way to go…in other words, DON’T compost paper products that contain any plastic lining.

Microplastics are a serious concern, whether in compost or the environment.  Check out this link to learn more: http://www.ecocycle.org/specialreports/microplasticsincompost

The other option is to “recycle” the paper cup, which is more commonly done than composting.  In recycled paper processing mills, the slurry from a pulper is screened to remove plastic, ink, clay, dirt, metals, etc from the paper.  Therefore, the cup’s plastic liner is considered a contaminant.  What happens to this sludge from here?  A good guess is that it’s either burned or landfilled…great.

Any better ideas?  The coolest example I’ve ever seen resided in Panama:

YES.  A paper cup with a fold-out handle so you don’t burn your hands.  This eliminates the need for the cardboard sleeve.  I’m going to spend some time learning more about this design, and then wonder why I don’t see these more often.  Maybe they’re a bit more tedious to manufacture…who knows?  I think this idea is getting somewhere, though.  The real victory would be if this cup didn’t have a plastic liner.  I must find out.

What are other companies doing?  The range of answers went from mostly plastic liner, PLA liner, or wax lining (only in cold cups).  Another company uses sugar cane bagasse, and using this process extraction material for paper products as opposed to burning it for fuel is a better use.  Enough babbling, here’s what I found:

Brand Product Name Liner type Compostable?
Dixie/Georgia Pacific Dixie Cup Plastic NO
Dixie Paper Hot Cups Plastic NO
Dixie EcoSmart PLA YES
GP Paper Cold Cups Plastic NO
PerfecTouch Insulated Paper Cups Plastic NO
Pathways Waxed Paper Cups Wax (paraffin) YES
Dart Fusion Plastic NO
Solo Bare* Wax (paraffin) YES
Bare Plastic NO
Heavy Duty Paper PLA YES
Green Choice Compostable Paper Coffee Cups PLA YES
Crown Insulated Paper Coffee Cups Plastic NO
Regular Coffee Cups Plastic NO
Pacific Green Products Cold Cups Ingeo YES
Savannah Supplies, Inc Bagasse Cup Bagasse YES
Ecotainer Hot Cup PLA YES
Cold Cup PLA YES
*I can’t find the Solo Bare wax liner option anymore.  Did something happen since February?

There you have it.  What does this all mean?  There’s plenty of options out there for compostable plastic cup liners.  They’re more expensive, and chances are slim that they will biodegrade properly in a home composting setup, unless you have a sustained hot pile going.  This reminds me of the Sun Chips bag dilemma…technically compostable, but not likely to happen for most of us.

I’m still a fan of the wax lining, although wax also takes forever to break down and is usually paraffin, which is derived from petroleum, which may bother some home composters.

Any cups with a soybean wax liner available out there?  This might not be the right question to be asking.

Back to the boring basics we go- always use your own cup to avoid sending those plastic skeletons to the landfill/incinerator/oceans.

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A Mailer Full of Mailers Mailed Back

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For all of you businesses out there looking to find a new way to connect with your market base, here’s an idea.  It’s simple, responsible, and makes everyone a little happier: The mailer mail back program.  I can’t be the first person to think of this, and I’m sure someone out there is doing it, but whatever.

You know these things?  Do you get a ton of these, perhaps from buying stuff online?  This is one of those items (alongside cardboard record mailers) that I just cannot throw out.  I’ve always been in the habit of saving pillow mailers ever since I started using ebay awhile back.  Why wouldn’t you hold onto them?  You save money on packaging (why pay for a box or a mailer?) when you’re selling your music collection to make rent.

Maybe you’re already doing this at your job.  If you work in a corporate environment pushing papers, you may be familiar with the interoffice mail folders that have a few dozen blanks on one side for crossing out the previous destination to write yours and send it on its way containing whatever crap that you should have emailed instead.

If you’re a business selling small items, reusing mailers (I highly doubt they’re recycled) and cutting shipping costs sound good to me.  Now it’s time to return the favor.

The business idea: Mail back 5 mailers to us and we’ll take 5 dollars off your next purchase.  It’s a unique and respectful gesture, it’s the right thing to do and quite frankly, it’s fun.  If I saw a business do this, I’d be more inclined to buy through them, that’s for sure…

P.S.: For those that remember this old post, I almost have enough tyvek mailers to send back…can’t wait to pay Dupont to take them back and maybe do something with them.

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Recycling Company and Executives Found Guilty of Fraud

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Originally posted here: http://www.pagosadailypost.com/news/22213/Recycling_Company_and_Executives_Found_Guilty_of_Fraud/

Executive Recycling, Inc. (a corporation), Brandon Richter, age 38, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, who was the owner and chief executive officer, and Tor Olson, age 37, of Parker, Colorado, former vice president of operations, were convicted of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, environmental crimes related to the illegal disposal of electronic waste, smuggling, and obstruction, following a 11-day trial. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Martinez sometime in April 2013.

“The improper disposal of electronic waste not only hurts our environment, it also leaves a legacy of environmental hazards for our children and our children’s children,” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.  “The trial team, including our prosecutors and staff, ICE HSI and the EPA, deserves the thanks of the public for their outstanding work during this ground-breaking environmental investigation that also involved a case of first impression in export control and complex criminal trial.”

“This criminal conviction demonstrates that there are no shortcuts to following U.S. export laws,” said Kumar Kibble, special agent in charge of HSI Denver.  “For years this company also deceived the public by falsely advertising an environmentally friendly U.S. recycling business plan.  Instead, it regularly exported obsolete and discarded electronic equipment with toxic materials to third-world countries, and took actions to illegally hide these practices from government officials.”

“The United States is a world leader in the manufacture and consumption of electronics and we have a responsibility to ensure they are disposed of properly,” said Jeffrey Martinez, EPA’s Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s criminal enforcement program in Colorado. “Many of these worn-out electronics are illegally exported to developing countries where people risk their health and the environment to retrieve the valuable materials left in them. Today’s guilty verdicts demonstrate that the American people will not tolerate the flagrant violation of laws that harm the environment and people of the developing world.”

According to the indictment, as well as the facts presented at trial, Executive Recycling was an electronic waste recycling business located in Englewood, Colorado with affiliated locations in Utah and Nebraska.  The company collected electronic waste from private households, businesses, and government entities.  Executive Recycling was registered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a “Large Quantity Handler of Universal Waste.”  Richter, as owner and CEO, was responsible for supervising all aspects of the company.  Olson, the vice president of operations, was responsible for running day-to-day operations.

A significant portion of electronic waste collected by the defendants were Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs).  CRTs are the glass video display component of an electronic device, usually a computer or television monitor, and are known to contain lead.  The defendants engaged in the practice of exporting electronic waste, including CRTs, from the United States to foreign countries, including the People’s Republic of China.  The defendants regularly negotiated the sale of electronic waste to brokers who represented foreign buyers or who sold the electronic waste overseas.  The foreign buyers often paid the defendants directly.  To transport the electronic waste, the defendants used shipping cargo containers which were loaded at the company’s facility.  The containers were then transported by rail to domestic ports for export overseas.

Executive Recycling appeared as the exporter of record in over 300 exports from the United States between 2005 and 2008.  Approximately 160 of these exported cargo containers contained a total of more than 100,000 CRTs.

Between February 2005 and continuing through January 2009, the defendants knowingly devised and intended to devise a scheme to defraud various business and government entities who wanted to dispose of their electronic waste, and to obtain these business and government entities’ money by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses.  The defendants represented themselves on a website to have “extensive knowledge of current EPA requirements.” The defendants falsely advertised to customers that they would dispose of electronic waste in compliance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.  It was part of the scheme that the defendants falsely represented that they would dispose of all electronic waste, whether hazardous or not, in an environmentally friendly manner.  Specifically, the defendants falsely represented that the defendant company recycled electronic waste “properly, right here in the U.S.”  They also stated that they would not send the electronic waste overseas.

The defendants’ misrepresentation induced customers to enter into contracts or agreements with the defendants for electronic waste disposal.  Each victim paid the defendants to recycle their electronic waste in accordance with the representations made by the defendants.  Contrary to their representations, the defendants sold the electronic waste they received from customers to brokers for export overseas to the People’s Republic of China and other countries.

Executive Recycling as a corporation faces a $500,000 fine per count for 7 wire fraud counts, or twice the gross gain or loss.  The corporation faces a conviction for one count of failure to file notification of intent to export hazardous waste, which carries a penalty of a $50,000 fine per day of violation, or twice the gross gain or loss.  The corporation also faces a one count of exportation contrary to law, which carries a penalty $500,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss.

Richter and Olson each face 7 counts of wire fraud, each count of which carries a penalty of not more than 20 years imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine.  They face one count exportation contrary to law, which carries a penalty of not more than 10 years imprisonment, and up to a $250,000 fine or twice the gross gain or loss, or both.  Lastly, Defendant Richter faces one count of destruction, alteration, or falsification of records in Federal investigations and bankruptcy, which carries a penalty of not more than 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.  There is also an asset forfeiture allegation, which states that upon conviction the defendants shall forfeit to the United States any and all property or proceeds derived from their illegal activity.

 

Wow!  These guys got what was coming to them, didn’t they?

I know the first thing that came to mind was what did they promise their customers?  What did their website look like?  Did they claim to have any certifications, such as the top notch e-stewards or the shady looking R2?

Let’s take a look at their About page.  If you try to go to Executive Recycling, it redirects to another e-waste recycling company…who are these Techcycle guys?  A little loophole I found allows me to get around this: check them out on Wikipedia (why they’re on there is odd to begin with) and click the link to their page at the bottom of the article.  Bam!  We’re in.

The About page has no mention of being certified at all…for all of you out there looking to recycle your electronics, ask/look for the e-stewards certification.  Any facility that has this will definitely want you to know they met its ISO 14001 standards: no prison labor, no exporting, no incinerating or landfilling of toxic materials.

It’s a bit sad how vague their page is…when you compare it to other companies it seems so obvious how lame they are.  I wonder how many companies out there are looking deeper into their e-waste recyclers as a result of this incident…

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Hidden Costs Series: Starbucks (video)

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Hidden Costs Series: Starbucks

This is one part of a video series called “Hidden Costs”, which focuses on one particular thing and gives it a grade based on categories like Environment, Health and Economy.

While I really like this video (and a few others in the series), I disagree with a few things.  First, Starbucks does not deserve a B in the Environment category.  According to this video, their products are 10% recyclable.  All they need to do is implement composting programs at their stores, both for the employees and the customers.  The majority of waste at a coffee shop is compostable.

Time for a quick local blasting:  Philadelphia has several composting services available that are very affordable, yet the majority of our coffee shops don’t utilize them.  Hell, there’s even services provided on bicycle.  Coffee shops are among the easiest candidates for zero waste (with very little effort, mind you) all while reaping huge P.R./marketing benefits…but here they sit, just sucking.

I’ve read that some of their sites offer their coffee grind waste to anyone that wants it for their home composting efforts.  If this is really true (in my experience with calling stores it hasn’t been thus far), they should promote it more.  They save money on their waste hauling bill, connect with their customers, and avoid the landfill.  This is no-brainer stuff here.

Now for my other gripe, which many of you may disagree with: the Economy category.  Who cares about Economy?  All this says to me is that Starbucks is a corporate monster that makes $11.7 billion dollars a year.  They also employ nearly 200,000 people.  Why does this matter?  Maybe I shouldn’t talk because I have a job, but all this says to me is that they’re a giant company that has that has even more of a responsibility to do right.

Keeping the focus on economy and jobs instead of environment and social issues is a great way to keep everyone hating each other and the war effort alive and well.  While I know I sound like an angry teenager for writing that, I don’t care.  Watch the documentary Black Gold for a better idea on how the coffee industry works.  Starbucks is a major player in keeping things exactly how they are, and they are not worthy of a grade that equates to “Good”.

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The Obligatory Black Friday Post…

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The Story of Stuff (2007) – Ch.1: Introduction

I almost forgot to post on one of the lamest days of the year: Black Friday.

If you don’t understand why Black Friday is lame, there’s probably a lot of other things we disagree on.  Anyway, I’ll hand it over to Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff today.  I have a headache.

Rather than buying stuff today, try giving the gift of service or your time to someone instead…