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We are drowning in plastic.

From beauty products to grocery bags to water bottles to our daily cup of coffee, plastic is present in every aspect of our lives. Most of these items are designed to be used once and thrown away, usually heading to the landfill.

Some of the plastic that we think can be recycled, like drink lids, straws and utensils, end up in the landfill because they're either too difficult to recycle or there's no market for the end products. Even recyclable plastic such as water bottles are becoming harder to recycle.

The most effective approach to reducing our plastic waste is to REFUSE, REDUCE, and REUSE.

In January 2019, GreenWorks spearheaded the creation of the Plastics Reduction Task Force -- a group of motivated volunteers dedicated to reducing single-use plastic in our environment. 
​
Join the plastic-free movement and break free from the plastic ties that bind us.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff, Plastic Reduction Task Force volunteers, and other plastic-free advocates in Buncombe County. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
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The Best Part of Waking Up is No Plastic in Your Cup

5/26/2019

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For some people, the day doesn’t really begin without a morning cup of coffee or tea. Whether hot or iced, decaf or regular, homemade or store-bought, our daily beverage is a great hiding place for sneaky single-use plastic and a great place to start with going plastic-free.
In the Home
The Problem
: Plastic has a way of creeping into a lot products, including packaging for coffee and tea. It’s in the plastic vacuum-sealed bag that keeps the Arabica beans fresh until their ready to be brewed. Plastic can also be found enveloping individually wrapped tea bags or even encasing the whole box. Even coffee filters, that can be composted along with the grounds, can be packaged in plastic.


​The Solution
: Do some pre-cycling at the store when you’re shopping for coffee and tea products. Look for coffee and tea sold in recyclable paper (not foil- or plastic-lined) or metal tins. Bring your reusable container to purchase bulk coffee or loose tea. Try using a reusable tea ball to steep your brew. Search out coffee filters sold in paper rather than plastic packaging.

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On the Go

The Problem: This is a big one -- hot beverage cups and their lids are NOT RECYCLABLE! The cups are coated with polyethylene to keep the paper cup from disintegrating. Unfortunately, this coating also prevents the cup from being recyclable. It’s estimated that 50 billion paper coffee (and tea) cups are being thrown away in the USA every year. eCO2 Greetings created this infographic to illustrate what it would look like if those 50 billion cups were piled up -- a mountain 701 meters high! Then there’s the issue of a plastic lid, the swizzle stick for stirring and the ridiculous little green stick that Starbucks gives you to put in the opening of your lid so your beverage doesn’t spill. 

Iced beverages are arguably worse for the environment with the plastic cup, lid and straw, all of which are non-recyclable. And don’t be fooled by the so-called “eco” biodegradable or compostable cups. These are only compostable in a commercial compost facility like Danny’s Dumpster, so unless the shop where you bought your beverage offers composting or you have access to a commercial composting through Danny’s or CompostNow, this cup is headed to the landfill as well.

The Solution: Bring your own reusable cup or mug. Most places will happily pour your beverage into your own cup and may even give you a discount for bringing your own, like Green Sage Cafe, which donates a portion of its proceeds to GreenWorks when you use your own cup.

​
In the Workplace

The Problem: No matter the time of day, you can expect to find a coffee and tea setup at work meetings. Some offices have coffee stations for employees and guests to get their caffeine fix at any time. Made for convenience, these setups can be full of plastic from individual creamers, stirrers, cups and lids.
And, don’t even get me started on the single-use Keurig or K-cups. According to the Story of Stuff, “The amount of K-Cups trashed into landfills as of today could wrap around the planet more than 10 times! More broadly, almost 25% of American homes owned a single cup brewing machine. That’s over 75 million homes brewing single use pods like K-cups everyday, multiple times a day. This means that tens of billions of nonreusable, nonrecyclable plastic pods have ended up in landfills.”

The Solution: Stock your office kitchen with reusable mugs and spoons. If you’re heading to a meeting at another location, bring your own mug. Follow the pre-cycling steps above when purchasing break room supplies. 

​And for goodness sake, kick that Keurig to the curb or invest in some reusable K-cups.

Thanks for Minding Your Plastic! There's still time to support GreenWorks' plastic reduction efforts. Help us reach our goal of raising $5,000 during Mind Your Plastic May.

​Sincerely,

Dawn Chavez
Executive Director
​Asheville GreenWorks
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​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollination Celebration >
        • Pollinator Photo Contest
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
      • WNC Big Sweep
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Adopt-a-Spot
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
      • Smash Don't Trash
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Experiential Internships
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
    • Make a Donation
    • Wish List
    • Sponsorship
  • Upcoming Events
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Fall Leaves