Wake up and smell the coffee
Progressives are not interested in debating the issues. They’ve already come to the conclusion that you’re doing something wrong and they will use government to curtail your behavior.
So it is that environmental activists are on the march to once and for all ban the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) in single-use cups and containers.
This is a no-brainer for the liberal elite class, which scoffs at the working stiffs who fuel up at the drive-thru with a big cup of coffee every morning.
Progressives think they’re doing normal people a favor by banning the things they love as it will make them less gauche in the end. No need to thank them.
The group getting in between you and your coffee is called Environment Massachusetts, and it is pushing for a statewide ban on polystyrene cups and containers.
Styrofoam is far from perfect. It is not biodegradable and it breaks down into small pieces that can be harmful to the environment.
However, it does insulate far better than its paper counterpart. Styrofoam is much more affordable and much cheaper to make than paper. It also draws on fewer resources to manufacture.
Most paper cups are not recyclable. They are often lined with polyethylene or something similar to allow the cup to be made waterproof and hold hot liquids. In addition, they insulate so badly that coffee drinkers are forced to use a paper sleeve to keep from burning their hands — another waste.
Paper cups also break down, and since there are plastic materials involved, they too disintegrate into small pieces that harm the environment — just like Styrofoam.
Starbucks, the acceptable coffee purveyor of the politically sophisticated, is constantly under fire from environmental groups because the Seattle coffee giant has not figured out the paper cup pollution problem. Headlines like “Starbucks cups are not recyclable, which means 4 billion go to landfill each year,” perennially haunt the company.
Much of this has flown under the radar as Starbucks has contended with a few unforced errors along race lines in recent years.
Yes, ordering in Italian feels good, but there is nothing more noble happening there, despite the jazz and the company’s continued efforts to virtue-signal at every turn.
Single-use, paper coffee cups are no better than Styrofoam, at the moment, and they may actually be worse for the environment. But that won’t stop leftist bullies from trying to push you around, because in the end it’s all about controlling you.