Disposables vs. doing the dishes?
What’s better for the environment, disposables or doing the dishes? This is a difficult question as there are a lot of factors that have to be taken into consideration.
The BYOP (bring your own porcelain) movement has been very popular to limit the use of disposables and promoted by arduous co-workers which are hanging up notes saying you should bring a mug and plate from home.
People that do this obviously have natures’ best interest in mind. After their cappuccino, they rinse their mug with a swig of detergent and hot water for a delicious new cup-a-joe. This all happens whilst giving the stink eye to their colleague that uses a disposable cup for his next coffee.
Who’s right, right? Research of TNO once highlighted that the pressure on the environment concerning the use of a porcelain mug is 7 times higher than that of a disposable cup. This means that you’d have to use the mug 7 times without rinsing it to even the score.
Given, the research by TNO was a bit one-sided and didn’t incorporate the plastic pollution we see and experience nowadays. We’re convinced that using a FSC cardboard cup with a compostable inner coating eventually is the most durable solution. If you’d also use this cup a few times a day you can comfortably leave your mug at home.
