Use a coffee cup, water bottle, glassware, and flatware at work
Why This is Green
Peek in your office garbage pail at the end of the day. It provides a unique look into how much waste you create daily. If you see a lot of Styrofoam coffee cups, paper plates, plastic utensils, and even water bottles, you’re not alone. According to CleanAir.org, the U.S. population tosses out enough paper bags, plastic cups, forks, and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times. These one-use items clog our landfills. Many resources go into making them and we use them only briefly before tossing. It’s a system that doesn’t make much common sense.
Thankfully you can drastically reduce your trash by using a reusable coffee cup, water bottle, glassware, and flatware. Either bring them in to work or ask the powers that be to fill the kitchen with reusable items. Throw a cloth napkin into your drawer for good measure. It really adds up. According to WasteFreeLunch.org, schools reduce their trash on waste-free lunch days, citing one that went to 5.9 pounds from 32.5 pounds. Every office varies in size, but reducing trash can save any office considerable money.
Bonus: when you BYO thermos, you’ll likely drink better coffee—both in terms of flavor and how it was grown. And what doesn’t taste better when not sipped out of plastic?
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How To
Talk to your office manager about stocking the shared kitchen with reusable cups and dishes. And put in a request for plant based dish soap and a water filter for the kitchen tap.
