That's great, annebert!! Way to go!

At work, I put out wastebins for recyclables, because they were going into the trash instead, and everybody jumped on board very readily. (Of course, my husband grumbles about me collecting the "garbage of the entire world" but I just would rather bring home and recycle a bag or two of recyclables a week rather than see them go in the trash.)

My co-workers also now save old paper for me to cut down for scrap. They call me the Paper Patrol, lol! We throw away so much paper it sickens me, so every little bit helps, I like to think.

Also, since people know I compost, often co-workers will leave me their banana peels or tea bags etc, neatly wrapped in a napkin, for me to take home. I even have a customer or two who actually bring me in bags of kitchen scraps, lol!

The only way I can think of to get people to stop using the styrofoam cups is to present every co-worker with a nice coffee cup, something they would personally like. Of course, there is no guarantee they would leave it at work to use, and then again, I don't know how many co-workers you have...

Great start! (And great title for the thread, lol!)
:)
Dee

I got my guys to stop using the styrofoam cups by not buying any more. I'm in charge of buying the supplies, and the styro was the company default when our office was set up, and I just changed that to the paper cups. Plus most here use their own mugs, but I know some people don't bother with that!

Good luck!

I empty the k-cup bin at work daily. It is a bit of work to get the grounds out, but it sure beats throwing it away. This week I scored about 3 "country crock" butter tubs worth.

I'm not a coffee drinker, but several of my co-workers are. But we don't have a coffee pot at work. They all make Dunkin Donut's runs instead, darn it!

You could ask Dunkin' Donuts for their grounds...

or you might get your co-workers a coffeepot.

Buy one at a thrift store or garage sale, clean it up, take it to the office with a package of filters & a wastebasket (looks nicer in the break room than a bucket, & if there isn't an extra in the supply room, you can get an inexpensive one at a dollar store).

Put a bowl or mug nearby for donations to a coffee fund, & ask the coffee drinkers to pitch in for coffee & to put the used grounds & filters into the wastebasket.

I my own self would nip the styrofoam cup temptation in the bud by getting a supply of mugs or cups at that garage sale.
Bleach them to remove coffee stains & donate one to each coffee-drinker.

Tah-Dah!

I don't think it would work Sylvia, not in my situation. Not only does the DD run every day let someone get out of work for a bit, DD coffee is just too popular - and too easy. Much easier to have someone bring you a cup than make your own, unfortunately. Boy, now I'm thinking of all the gasoline that is used to feed this addiction...

One co-worker is a tea-drinker, though, and she often saves me her tea bag, along with her banana peel from her snack. I'll take every little bit I can, lol!

:)
Dee

My employer supplies styrofoam cups for water or coffee. I write my name on a cup, and use the same one throughout the day. Others have taken to doing the same thing.

Lorna, great idea. After they are all used to it, set the example of taking a mug in from home-- maybe others will also do the same. Bring a really cute or funny one-- they may, too, just to "keep up with you." Might work!

I started saving the bags our cereal is sealed in (watertight) and bring them into work to haul home the coffee grounds. I have been collecting grounds myself, but today had a washed out quart yogurt container to put the bag in and asked people to put the grounds in the bag/container if they make a second pot. No prob. Outing yourself as an organic gardener may open the door to other environmental discussions. That is what I am hoping for me.

"...Outing yourself as an organic gardener may open the door to other environmental discussions..."

So true! Since I've overcome my fear of being perceived as weird, and started bringing home the recycling from work, asking for people's banana peels, and saving every bit of scrap paper, two of my co-workers have started composting, two others now save scrap paper when I'm not there, and because of further discussions, others now use re-usable bags, and have told me of other minor changes they have made at home.

Gotta start with the first step....

:)
Dee

They sell DD coffee at the grocery store around here....

:)

Boss had us all bring in coffee cups and drinking glasses we didn't like and trade. Then stopped buying the dang things.

My k-cup scavenging has rubbed off. The other day I missed the chance to grab the bin before it was full and dumped in the trash. I got out of the meeting to find someone had dumped them into a bag for me and left them at my desk!

With regards to Styrofoam cups vs ceramic mugs, it might be shocking to discover that unless you use that mug at least 1500-1600 times (how often do you have a mug that lasts 4 years?), the environmental impact of using foam cups is lower.

Mining material, manufacturing, firing, transporting, washing, and disposing of ceramic and glass has a tremendous environmental cost.

A sign that asks people to reuse their foam cups without rinsing them would probably actually have a better impact.

People seriously have mugs that don't last four years??? I've had my ceramic mugs for far longer than that, and I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't. Do adults seriously break or throw out ceramic mugs that often? I'd be very surprised if that was the case...

As soon as I posted that, I looked at the mug I was drinking kombucha from, and realized it was over 11 years old (It was a gift, a Star Trek: Next Generation mug then, just a plain dark blue one now :) ), deflating my own point.

But I do think it's rare to find people that take care of things, unfortunately. Doubly so in an office environment, and compounded by the fact that an office might buy cheap mugs that chip.

Well, I'm pretty cheap, lol, so most of my dishes, glasses, and mugs were ones that my family had when I was a kid. Let's just say they are well over 20 years old and leave it at that, lol.

:)
Dee

Yup, I have to say that since I can identify where and when I got all of my mugs (through some process of synchronicity, I was thinking about this while putting away dishes last night)I know the average age is about 10 years - a couple are close to 30!