Plastic cups and spoons

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Plastic cups and spoons
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BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:36 pm Post subject: Plastic cups and spoons

A little toot toot from my own trumpet here.

I work for a very large multi-national corporation, we have a number of very nicely appointed offices around the country and they have a very active 'contribute to society' policy. However, every single office provides only plastic cups and spoons, there are 5 buildings on my campus, with 3 floors on each, each floor is divided into at least two main areas (some of the larger buildings have more) and each area has a dishwasher which is run every evening

I have long complained about the waste (as I see it) of using plastic instead of reusable cups and spoons and the associated waste of running almost empty dishwashers nightly.

I signed up for an 'Eco Project' with a view to try to change this. In order to build the business case for change I did some research to establish the actual numbers and costs of purchasing 'consumables' for the organisation - we use 250,000 plastic spoons and almost 500,000 plastic cups annually, which costs the organisation almost �16,000 and generates 1 ton of CO2.

There will of course be costs associated in changing to reusable mugs and spoons but initial investigations suggest that this will pay for itself in 1 year.

Armed with this infomation, I found a sponsor to support me and we presented the information to the change board and they approved it this week.

We are now starting the change over to remove all the plastic consumables and replace them with proper cups and spoons in the office areas.

I am so happy (little happy dance) and really feel that I have achieved something.

Putting my trumpet away now

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45670
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:39 pm Post subject:
Excellent, really well done!

Duckhead

Joined: 24 Oct 2009
Posts: 2069
Location: Up the hill, Italy

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:43 pm Post subject:
Well done indeed. The bars here drive me mad. You buy a coffee and it comes in a lovely little cup that they wash in a machine. With coffee you get a little glass of water, 9 times out of ten a plastic glass which they bin. Madness.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:44 pm Post subject:
excellent news, thats a brilliant thing to have sorted out

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:49 pm Post subject:
Darn - I saw a webthingy once with a cartoony picture of all the stages involved in making a plastic spoon from drilling for the oil to transporting it to the user and asking how it could be viable to do all that and then just throw it away. I'll try and find it again.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:53 pm Post subject:
Taht's wonderful. I've been feeling very down about my own 'footprint' but you've cheered me up ne end! Wish I could do somethhing comparable.

BahamaMama

Joined: 21 Sep 2006
Posts: 2315
Location: Away with the fairies

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 4:59 pm Post subject:
Thanks everyone - it is a real sense of achievement. What has been very encouraging is the number of people that have supported me and contributed to the project - they all feel equally strongly. In the absence of cake, a glass of wine to celebrate I think

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18415

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 5:04 pm Post subject:
That's really good ! Well done.

Jo S

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 5174
Location: Somerset

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 5:22 pm Post subject:

darkbrowneggs

Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Posts: 663
Location: Worcestershire

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 6:09 pm Post subject:
Well done you

kirstyfern

Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 1574
Location: Great Dunmow, Essex

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 8:28 pm Post subject:
well done

nats

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2374
Location: Swindon but not a Swindonian

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 9:23 pm Post subject:

It drives me mad that we have people at my company who can bring in their own lunch in a box etc (that they presumably wash) but can't put in their own cutlery meaning they use the plastic stuff. Every day. ARRRGGGG I'd like to get rid of it too but we already have the non-disposable at the selling end of the canteens, this is just the packed lunch users. Well done you and can I have some of your magic please?!

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Thu May 12, 11 9:45 pm Post subject:
My only caveats would be that some people won't be able to cope with the washing up - and you may get mug wars

onemanband

Joined: 26 Dec 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: NCA90

Posted: Fri May 13, 11 4:16 am Post subject:
https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1498.full?ehom Australian scientists study the disappearance of teaspoons in the work place

perlogalism

Joined: 27 Nov 2009
Posts: 440
Location: Near Welshpool

Posted: Fri May 13, 11 8:23 pm Post subject:

onemanband wrote:

https://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1498.full?ehom

Australian scientists study the disappearance of teaspoons in the work place

The funniest thing I've read in a long time

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