Waste Prevention Information Exchange

Utensils

CalRecycle Programs and Services

• "Bio"degradable Plastic and Paper Products—It would actually be more accurate to call these degradable, not biodegradable, because manufacturers have developed some products that decompose by exposure to light or moisture, and do not necessarily require microbes for decomposition.  However biodegradable products are included in this list.

Other Resources

Documents

• Report of the Starbucks Coffee Company/Alliance for Environmental Innovation Joint Task Force, 04/15/2000—A significant portion of Starbucks' beverage business is take-out, with the large majority of those drinks being sold in disposable cups. To ensure customers' comfort, Starbucks historically used two paper cups and currently uses a paper cup and sleeve to serve many of its hot coffee and tea beverages. The company recognizes both the environmental and economic benefits of increasing the use of reusable cups and introducing a new, environmentally preferable single-use cup. Portable Document Format (PDF), 262 KB.

Web Sites

• Green Cafeterias—Describes a cafeteria that practices composting, and uses both compostable and  reusable utensils.
• Reusable vs. Disposable Cups—Lifecycle energy analysis performed by University of Victoria professor of chemistry Martin B. Hocking, and presented by the Institute for Lifecycle Energy Analysis.
• Starbucks Commuter Mug Discount—Waste reduction achieved in 2002 from mug reuse at Starbucks.
• Vancouver Folk Music Festival—A festival that reuses utensils.