Tim Hortons

[vid]

They're ugly because they are 1: cheap and 2: all the same. Same goes for Wendy's. There is a local commercial that shows our two standalone Wendy's locations, and it looks like the same building from two angles!

[trist_p]

I suppose that "denounce' was too strong of a word, and that this probably isn't the best place to promote it this idea. I can justify it though. To reiterate my cause, Tim's coffee cups produce an obscene amount of waste, and they control approximately 62% of the Canadian market. Unless they switch to a more ecologically sound alternative, it is unlikely that their competitors will. Really, it's very little effort to join the group, and since the group's creation yesterday, 50 members have joined and this number is growing. I suspect that as people recommend others, the growth will continue further.

Currently, a coffee cup will not biodegrade in your lifetime. Skyscraperpage isn't just about tall buildings (which I love), but also about city planning, right? Well if 22% of Ontario's landfill waste is being generated from coffee cups, this is entirely relevant! People think that a small effort will generate zero results, but when it comes to this type of networking it's the exact opposite. By joining and reccomending the group to others, not only do you support the cause, but you can extend your reach to everyone you reccomend, and in turn, everyone they reccomend, and so on. You can further help the problem by using your own mug, but this is definitely not enough. You'd have to use it about 1,000 times before you break even in ecological footprint. This can help mitigate the effects of the problem, but it will not solve it.

Facebook groups are notorious for getting very big very fast. If enough people join, I will formally contact Tim Hortons. Implementation isn't that much of strech either, considering they have already responded to public pressure on recycling (remember when they introduced the bluebins in 2006?)

There is already a solution to the problem in the form of biodegradable cups. Please join! Seriously, it doesn't hurt, and when weighing what could be gained and what could be lost, what could be lost (maybe 20 seconds of time) is negligible!

[Kevin_foster]

There is a coffee shop in Edmonton that does not even provide disposable cups. (DeCapo on 109th)

You either:
a) Bring a mug
b) Sit down and enjoy a cup

They are receiving alot of slack for it, but I commend them for it.

[Dylan Leblanc]

If a cup ends up in a landfill, what's it matter whether it is biodegradable or not? I really don't get this.

[Calgarian]

So you're saying that the paper cups that Timmys uses don't break down for what, 50 years? I find that a little hard to believe. If I was going to start a face book group on the health of our landfills, I would be going after supermarkets for their plastic bags that will NEVER break down, not a paper coffee cups that may take a little longer than usual due to what ever coating they put on it.

That's just my opinion.

[vid]

Paper doesn't biodegrade in landfills because there is no oxygen. And when you take that into account, Styrofoam is actually more environmentally sound. It uses less energy to make, and is more efficient at keeping coffee warm.

Paper is more likely to biodegrade if you litter it.

[Calgarian]

Don't landfills have to add oxygen now? I think they use pipes to supply oxygen and vent methane.

[vid]

I know ours is working on a project to accomplish that, but I haven't heard anything about it. They're supposed to be using the methane to generate electricity for the new suburbs that have, for some reason, grown near the landfill. Considering how many landfills sites there are in this country (Fort William First Nation, with 1000 people, has 53 dumping sites. Iirc, Toronto has just over 500 waste disposal sites within it's city limits.) I highly doubt all of them have been outfitted with that technology.

[Calgarian]

We should just do what they do in Tokyo, burn it, produce energy from it, and collect any waste.

[Danny D]

Originally Posted by johnnyc

We should just do what they do in Tokyo, burn it, produce energy from it, and collect any waste.

How much pollution is associated with burning trash? I'm assuming its quiet a bit.

[vid]

It pollutes more than oil or coal but the Japanese do it a lot so they must have some sort of carbon capturing technology to lessen the impact. They might not though. It's not like they can build landfills.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes

I don't do facebook, but maybe my cat will join if she manages to login again.

How did the cat do that exactly?

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by Danny D

How much pollution is associated with burning trash? I'm assuming its quiet a bit.

They catch the smoke and collect the ash.

[trist_p]

You know what, sorry I even said anything. Maybe there should be a facebook group for plastic bags, as plastic bags could also be made out of biodegradable materials. There are biodegradable products on the market for everything from straws, to take out containers to "plastic" cutlery. The difference is, that from a media-perspective, grocery stores are already being criticized for their plastic bag use, which is why Loblaws (among others) introduced a reusable bag made from recycled plastic bottled. And I'm not bashing Tim Hortons. I love Tim Hortons, its just currently drinking coffee their (using the take-out cups) isn't ecologically sustainable.

Many people don't know that styrofoam can in fact be recycled in Toronto, though this is a rarity among jurisdictions in Ontario.

[elsonic]

I would also like to know the working conditions in wich their coffee is made.

[harls]

I think their cups are laced with traces of crack cocaine or some methamphetamine. Just look at the lineups both inside and outside a tim's every morning.

"Do you want an extra cup?"

"yeah yeah gimme gimme!"

[HomeInMyShoes]

^I seriously doubt they could sell coffee that cheap if they were doing that.

[Calgarian]

Originally Posted by harls

I think their cups are laced with traces of crack cocaine or some methamphetamine. Just look at the lineups both inside and outside a tim's every morning.

"Do you want an extra cup?"

"yeah yeah gimme gimme!"

haha, probably. or it's like that Foo Fighters video where the flight attendant put Heroin in the coffee.

[Dylan Leblanc]

What's the point of anything being biodegradable if it's just going to end up in a landfull? It's not like we are going to be looking to our landfills to supply us with fertilizer in 50 years. So what if a plastic cup or bag sits there forever, it's in a landfill, where it's supposed to be. Rocks don't biodegrade either.

[401_King]

i think the bigger crime here is all the bulging bellies made thanks to timbits.