Are There Still Businesses That Stock Disposable Coffee Cups?

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.

Why Do Fast Food Restaurants Still 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 those restaurants where people use dishes, though, the reason disposable coffee cups are used is generally due to money. They may not be saving as much money as they think they are, though. Although the up-front price is less, they're still repeatedly paying for disposable coffee cups when they could be re-using, saving a ton of waste. Of course, this would involve paying employees to clean the coffee cups. Is it worth the up front cost? The answer to that depends on many factors, including your dishwasher's pay rate, if your restaurant uses a machine and if it can handle the additional load, and the cost of the disposable cups over time. However, no one can argue that getting rid of disposable coffee cups would cut waste and help the environment.

Why Do Offices Still Use Disposable Coffee Cups?

Many offices offer free coffee as a courtesy to their customers. The issue here isn't unlike the issues with fast food restaurants. Can clients truly be expected to provide cups of their own? With a lobby, though, there is a very simple solution, though some people won't like it. This coffee is free, after all, so there really is no financial reason to provide coffee anyway, which means clients should be happy to bring their own cups. More than likely, though, people would get offended, even if you did advise them that you were removing disposable cups to cut down on waste.

Why Do Those Offices That Don't Have Visitors Still Use Disposable Coffee Cups?

Some offices who don't see many, or any visitors, still provide disposable coffee cups. This is not only expensive, but it's also wasteful. Modern offices, especially those where employees have their own desks, can certainly expect employees to have cups of their own and, if the company is feeling generous, they can always hand out coffee cups with a company logo, or something else of interest to their employees. In this case, the cost savings would come quite quickly as disposable coffee cups are never ordered again.