18 September 2008 - 12:10Ban the Coffee Cup?

It’s rare that I brave a new day without a cup of coffee.

And I am not alone. Some of us dutifully bring our own mug wherever we go, but most of us don’t.

When I was in university, the environmental group on campus ecoMAFIA (eco-Males and Females in Action) collected all the coffee cups discarded on university grounds in one week. The results were pretty revealing: dozens of large see-through plastic garbage bags each containing hundreds of cups each.

Needless to say, the group effectively made its point about the wasteful nature of our daily take-away culture.

The City of Toronto has decided to tackle the issue head on. The City will strongly consider such options as a ban, a levy or tax, and a deposit-return program on cups. When the Toronto Star published an article last Sunday about the city’s desire to address the problem, the online version of the article generated a fury of comments (140), prompting the Star to shut down further comments.

Commentators ranged from wholehearted supporters of the initiative, while others were outraged at the idea of the city policing retailers.

I think a ban is fairly extreme, and would need to take into account all outcomes. For example, it would seem outrageous to refuse to sell coffee to a homeless person because they did not bring their own mug. It would also be unfair to single out coffee retailers only, while other retailers continue to shell out disposable cups en masse (e.g. fast food places, theatres, concert venues, bars etc.)

I for one support the idea of an extra tax/levy on disposable cups. But it would have to be something significant so that people feel it in their pocketbooks. I’d like to see a 50 cent municipal tax for each cup of coffee that goes directly into measurable waste reduction programs – which may even fund the free distribution of reusable mugs to the public.