Which daily consumer habit fills 107 garbage trucks with waste every single hour of every day?

Back in the day, I worked at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in California. To this day, it remains one of my favorite jobs. I loved getting up early, seeing the same customers every day, getting to know their orders, and talking to them about their lives. I also appreciated how organized the business's standard operating procedures were; they truly inspired my love for operations, procedures, and employee training. As an established company with higher turnover rates than other industries, their training and SOPs were dialed. From opening the store to executing tasks, making drinks, and greeting customers, everything was carefully calculated and ingrained through extensive and regular training. I attribute my strong work ethic and outgoing customer service personality to this experience, and I was fortunate to have had it at such an impressionable age.

I recently found myself reminiscing about my days as a barista in sunny California. Back then, we were required by law to ask every customer if their order was "for here or to go." Initially, I thought this was a nifty way to promote the use of reusable cups—a concept I adored. Over time, I learned the real intent was taxation to potentially benefit workers…? (Still noble, if so.)

Despite the underlying reasons, the practice stuck with me as a profound yet straightforward method to encourage sustainability. It’s amazing how a simple operational tweak could have significant benefits.

Fast forward to today, and here I am, mulling over launching a similar local awareness campaign I’ve dubbed the “For Here” campaign. The average coffee shop will automatically serve your beverage in a to-go cup unless specified otherwise, even if you’re dining for here. Offering a for-here option up front could make a big dent in reducing disposable cup waste. I’ve been so wrapped up in the excitement with the ‘For Here’ campaign I’ve concocted—picking out campaign months, brainstorming visuals and slogans, thinking about how to engage my local coffee houses—I was so excited I word vomited my excitement to my husband who so patiently indulges my shop ramblings. 

I was surprised this week to see that Starbucks had launched a strikingly similar initiative on January 27. According to their campaign, any beverage ordered "for here" will now be served in a reusable mug, glass, or a customer's personal cup. In fact, I was a bit gobsmacked. I’ve been obsessing over this very topic and the timing had me wondering: Did I subconsciously absorb this idea from somewhere over the last couple weeks and only think it was my brainchild? Maybe I manifested it. 🤷

Regardless, I’m not deterred. What excites me about such initiatives is this simplicity. In the US alone, 50 billion disposable coffee cups are used annually—that’s the equivalent of 107 garbage trucks every hour, every day. Many of them have wax or plastic layers that make them unrecyclable. However we feel about these large corporations and the cumulation of their practices, this effort is good to see. 

While many of us sustainability enthusiasts habitually opt for the mug, not everyone remembers to do so, baristas don't have the question baked into their SOPs, and I even catch myself forgetting every once in a while and find myself receiving their default to-go cup. Making "For here or to go?" a standard query could guide more customers towards sustainable choices.

I want businesses to recognize that sustainability isn’t a lofty goal reserved for the few–it’s not just for those overachieving companies with the resources for it. Sustainability is easy. It’s small, simple, sometimes out-of-the-box and sometimes obvious solutions that can make a big difference. By promoting sustainable choices, businesses take on a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future, demonstrating that small changes can lead to substantial, positive outcomes.

Our next obstacle is convincing Coca-Cola and Nestle to come up with something as simple and obvious as this. Need a bit more brain power for that one.

Additionally, if you're one of those people (like my overthinking-self), there are rumors going around about concerns that the plastics in disposable lids can leach chemicals into your hot beverage due to the heat–yet another reason to favor reusable cups over disposable ones.

I’m still keen on rolling out my version of the 'For Here' campaign. Besides fostering eco-friendly habits, I aim to gather local data to measure the real impact of such a simple question. How many cups would we be able to save in Boise over a month? How much money would it save each business? I’m mulling it over–we’ll see where it lands. 

P.S. The best for-here cups in Boise are at Primal Coffee. While you’re there check out their homemade chai latte as well!