“Gulp the coffee, skip the cup
Karin de Weille has launched a campaign in the heart of caffeine country to get people to kick the paper habit. “I think Seattle can push the frontier,” she said at Seattle Green Festival, a two-day celebration of ecofriendliness where the effort got its official start on May 21. The thin plastic coating that keeps most cups from turning to mush complicates recycling. Only a handful of cities try, including Seattle. But even if cups are recycled, it still requires enormous amounts of energy and resources to manufacture and ship them, de Weille told theSeattle Times. Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin endorsed the initiative, which urges participants to whip out their own reusable cups for mochas on the go or “for here.” Americans go through 56 billion paper cups every year, according to statistics compiled by International Paper. Starbucks alone gulps up 3 billion.”
Activist wants ban on paper coffee cups via St. Petersburg Times