Where's my BioCup?

I had a large takeaway skim latte today. It cost me $5. That is an expensive coffee – large or no. It was not a special coffee – not single origin, or spectacular in any way. I was not in the city, not in any special place where I would expect to pay more for a coffee. It was just at the mall in Cronulla. Just an expensive, half decent coffee - served in a very ordinary cup.

If people are prepared to pay $5 for an ordinary coffee, surely there is no longer an argument that environmentally friendly cups are too expensive.

Although my preference is for a re-usable cup, my KeepCup being my favourite, sometimes it just isn’t possible. Sometimes you really need a coffee when you don’t have your KeepCup on you. So if I must use a disposable cup, I would at least like to know that it is making as minimal environmental impact as possible.

I have recently been pleased to see BioCups being used more and more in cafes. When I see this I always let the café know that I think is great, and that it will encourage me to buy coffee there again. But what is a BioCup? And does it really make a difference?

BioCups from www.biopak.com.au

So let’s think about what makes a Good disposable coffee cup – if there is such a thing. Firstly – preferably no plastic if possible. The material that it is made out of should be recycled material, and/or ethically sourced. It should be able to be disposed of with minimal environmental impact.

Well, according to the BioPak website, BioCups tick all of these boxes. BioCups are lined with bioplastic derived from corn starch, not petroleum-based plastic. This is Good. The paper used to produce BioCups comes from plantations, and BioPak offset carbon emissions from this process. I would prefer that they were made from recycled paper, but this is far from a bad second. It’s actually a pretty Good option.

Interestingly, the BioPak website suggests that as the cup is biodegradable, the best way to dispose of it is in compost. I have to admit this seems a little impractical to me, but as they are biodegradable even if they end up in landfill it is better than a traditional paper cup lined with petroleum based plastic.

There are a couple of different types of lids, one of which is plastic. It can be recycled – not my favourite option as these usually end up in the bin. There is a compostable option – which I much prefer.

BioPak claims that in Australia and New Zealand over 1.5 billion paper cups are disposed of each year. That’s a lot of cups. And a lot of coffee. The best option is clearly to keep your KeepCup in your handbag. But in a coffee emergency, the BioCup is a Good option.

And if we are now paying $5 for a cup of coffee, goddamn it I expect the café owner to chip in a few extra cents to give it to me in a Good cup.

Otherwise I might just get really cranky.

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