Preserving Resources
Starbucks cupIn the Chicago area, Starbucks came up with a novel post-consumer source for napkins — their own hot cups. In the fall of 2010, they began sending used coffee cups to a Wisconsin recycling plant to have the cups remade into Starbucks napkins. This saves thousands of cups from ending up in the landfill, as the plastic coated lining makes it difficult to recycle them.
Sodexo’s switch to recycled napkins in 1,300 foodservice operations several years ago resulted in a savings of close to 10 million gallons of water, more than 23,000 trees, half a million gallons of oil and five and a half million kilowatts of energy.