Styrofoam Cups, Paper Cups, and Reusable Cups - Greendesignetc ...
Styrofoam Cups, Paper Cups, and Reusable Cups - Greendesignetc ...
Styrofoam Cups, Paper Cups, and Reusable Cups - Greendesignetc ...
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ENVS-660-664 Sustainable Design<br />
Lecturer: Richard Berman<br />
<strong>Styrofoam</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> vs. <strong>Paper</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> vs. <strong>Reusable</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
Jongpil Park<br />
December 1, 2010
<strong>Styrofoam</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
• Polystyrene<br />
y<br />
• A light-weight, petroleum-based plastic manufactured from styrene<br />
• Popular since 1940s<br />
• EPA listed as Fifth largest creator of hazardous material in 1986<br />
• Causes to form ozone<br />
• Causes health problems<br />
• Styrene, listed as a possible carcinogen by EPA<br />
• Outlawed in Taiwan, Portl<strong>and</strong>, OR, <strong>and</strong> Orange County, CAs<br />
• Not biodegradable<br />
• 25 billion <strong>Styrofoam</strong> cups per a year<br />
• Recycling available<br />
• Market is small <strong>and</strong> shrinking due to high recycling expense.<br />
• There are only a few recycling locations.
<strong>Styrofoam</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> Vs. <strong>Paper</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
• <strong>Paper</strong> cups use more raw materials <strong>and</strong> energy <strong>and</strong> cost more<br />
• Petroleum or natural gas<br />
• Wood pulp<br />
• 12 times as much steam<br />
• 36 times as much electricity<br />
• Twice as much cooling water<br />
• Cost 2.5 times more
<strong>Paper</strong> cups<br />
• Invented due to public health concerns by the shared use cups<br />
at schools in 1900s<br />
• <strong>Paper</strong>board: Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS)<br />
• water resistant polyethylene (PE) coated cups<br />
• North America consumes 60% of the world’s paper cups<br />
• L<strong>and</strong>fill – Decomposing papers releases methane<br />
• Recycling limitedly available due to PE coating<br />
• Into copier paper, kitchen roll <strong>and</strong> toilet rolls<br />
• Starbucks Recycling Bin<br />
• 399 out of 7,529 stores in the North America
<strong>Paper</strong> manufacturing<br />
* http://www.sustainableforestprods.org/book/export/html/35, figure 9
16 oz. paper cup (Gr<strong>and</strong>e) with sleeve<br />
• CO2 emissions - .25 lb<br />
• The loss of natural habitat - . 93 ft<br />
2<br />
• The Loss of plant <strong>and</strong> animal life - .6 lb<br />
* including paper from trees, materials, production <strong>and</strong> shipping
Annual Consumption Statistics<br />
• Trees, Energy, Water <strong>and</strong> Solid Waste<br />
* http://www.sustainabilityissexy.com/table.html
Increase Recycled Content @ Starbucks<br />
• 60% Post-consumer fiber Sleeve<br />
• 10% Post-consumer fiber Cup since 2006<br />
• 78,000 trees (8% saving)<br />
• The energy of power 640 homes for a year<br />
• The water to fill 71 Olympic-sized swimming pools<br />
• 109 garbage trucks of solid waste
<strong>Reusable</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
• Plastic, Ceramic, Glass, Aluminum, Steel<br />
• Designed to be used 1,000 ~ 3,000 times<br />
• Likely to be lost or broken, thus have a shorter average lifetime<br />
• Made in China<br />
• Recycling available
<strong>Reusable</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> @ Starbucks, 2009<br />
• 15% 1.5 of total lbeverages<br />
• <strong>Reusable</strong> cups used 26.3 million times<br />
• Saved nearly 1.2 million pounds of paper by reusable cups<br />
15,135 trees<br />
206 homes/year<br />
370 cars /year<br />
20 swimming pools<br />
47 garbage trucks<br />
* http://www.edf.org/papercalculator/
<strong>Reusable</strong> vs. Disposable <strong>Cups</strong><br />
• Larger energy consumption of manufacturing reusable cups<br />
• Energy efficiency - depending on number of reusable cups<br />
* http://sustainability.tufts.edu/downloads/Comparativelifecyclecosts.pdf
Comparison Chart<br />
Low<br />
Medium<br />
High<br />
<strong>Styrofoam</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> <strong>Paper</strong> <strong>Cups</strong> <strong>Reusable</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
Manufacturing<br />
Energy Consumption<br />
No. of Uses<br />
Environment Impact<br />
(Ozone, GHS, etc)<br />
Health Concerns<br />
None<br />
Cost<br />
Convenience<br />
Recycling<br />
Recycling Feasibility<br />
Ban<br />
Taiwan, Portl<strong>and</strong>, OR<br />
Orange County, CA<br />
None<br />
None
Sustainable Suggestions<br />
Suggestions<br />
<strong>Styrofoam</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
1. Reduce the quantity of <strong>Styrofoam</strong> cups consumed<br />
a. Outlaw <strong>Styrofoam</strong> cups.<br />
If not, government should support the recycling system<br />
b. Encourage people to use reusable cups at Coffee Shops<br />
2. Develop the green disposal technology<br />
3. Improve problems of Health Concerns<br />
4. Do not use HCFCs to make polystyrene<br />
<strong>Paper</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
<strong>Reusable</strong> <strong>Cups</strong><br />
1. Reduce the quantity of paper cups consumed by encouraging<br />
people to use reusable cups at Coffee Shops<br />
2. Create higher proportion of Post-Consumer Fiber paper cups<br />
3. Recycle more<br />
1. Increase the number of using a cup<br />
2. Serve coffees into mug cups to whom stay in stores.
Reference<br />
• “Report of the Alliance for Environmental Innovation” . edf.com. http://www.edf.org/documents/523_starbucks.pdf. starbucks pdf Retrieved Feb 6, 2008.<br />
• “ecological effects of a paper cup”. ecofx.org. http://ecofx.org/wiki/index.php?title=<strong>Paper</strong>_cup. Retrieved Feb 6, 2008.<br />
• http://www.sustainabilityissexy.com/facts.html<br />
• http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/styrofoamrecycling.html<br />
• http://www.styrofoamcups.org/<br />
• http://www.ecocups.org/<br />
• http://www.sustainableforestprods.org/book/export/html/35<br />
• http://sustainability.tufts.edu/downloads/Comparativelifecyclecosts.pdf<br />
• http://www.edf.org/papercalculator/<br />
• http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html<br />
• http://www.starbucksmelody.com/2009/11/14/commentary-recyclable-cups-starbucks/<br />
• http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=2155<br />
• http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/learn-more/goals-<strong>and</strong>-progress/recycling<br />
• http://www.ehow.com/print/list_7283337_disadvantages-styrofoam-cups.html<br />
html<br />
• http://www.ecojoes.com/styrofoam-cups-vs-paper-cups/<br />
• http://www.tappi.org/paperu/all_about_paper/faq.htm<br />
• Washington State Air Toxic Sources <strong>and</strong> Emission Estimation Methods<br />
• http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/218/1/Recycling-styrofoam.html<br />
• http://1800recycling.com/2010/03/styrofoam-paper-cups/<br />
• http://www.benefits-of-recycling.com/styrofoamrecycling.html<br />
• http://innovation.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=30868<br />
• http://innovation.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=1382<br />
• http://innovation.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=30802<br />
• http://ecofx.org/wiki/index.php?title=<strong>Paper</strong>_cup<br />
• http://blogs.edf.org/innovation/2010/05/12/the-starbucks-cup-summit-rethinking-the-recycling-system/
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