Cups: The Waste Epidemic 1

Cups: The Waste Epidemic

Are Paper/Plastic Cups a Factor in the Amount
of Excess Waste on Campus at the University of
New Mexico?

By: Gabriella Dalton

Date: 13 April 2016

Table of Contents
Abstract3

Introduction..4-5

Methodology.5-74-6

Results7-96-7

Discussion of Results......8-97-8

FinalConclusi
Recommendation.on9-118-10

Works Cited121

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 3

Reflection13

Abstract:
For many students, Satellite Coffee has become their safe haven and this is especially true
for students at the University of New Mexico. With high demands for coffee around campus
comes a lot of cup waste. Like most students and staff have realized, there are not nearly
enough recycling bins around campus or enough green awareness. For the remainder of this
report, I will be discussing the ways in which the University of New Mexico can better
enhance their green thumb by limiting the excess amount of cup waste on campus, while also
making recycling bins easier to access and manage.

Introduction:
SatelliteCoffeeislocallyownedinAlbuquerque,NewMexicoandwasestablishedin
1998byJeanBernstein.Thiscoffeecompanyisoneofthefewcoffeeshopsaroundtownand
oncampusthatmakesuseofecofriendly,nonreusablecoffeecups.However,theirTheir
initiativetouseaproductwithlessofanenvironmentalimpactdoesnotjustifytheir
contributiontothewasteepidemic.FormyUniversalDesignrecommindationreport,Ichoseto
studytheeffectsofusingnonreusablepapercupsandhowourdecisionsdirectlyimpactour
campusenvironment.Inordertoconductefficientandreliableresearch,Idecidednottorely
solelyoninformationIfoundontheInternet.Thatbeingsaid,Iconductedaninterviewwith
themanagerofSatellite,spokewithmultiplecustomers,observedstudents,andcalculated
theirestimatedamountsofplasticandpaperwasteperday,week,andmonth.
AttheUniversityofNewMexico,thecoffeecupsstudentspurchasedailyprovide
researcherswithanincentivetostudythevariousformsofunnecessarywastearoundcampus.
,becausecoffeeisamajorcommodityofthestudentpopulation.AsBernsteinstates,Ilove
coffeehousesbecausetheyarewherewefuelup,exchangeideas,peoplewatch,andhopefully
getalittlewarmtheverysingleday.Thisformofthinkingiswhatattractsstudentsto
purchasecoffee,whichresultsinbothacollaborationofindividualsandacollaborationof
waste.

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 5

Litteraroundcampusaffectsallstudentsnomatterwhatage,race,orgender.Trashis
unsightlyandweallcanbenefitfromamoreecologicalenvironment.Byprovidingaccessible
waystorecycleandbeingconservationmindedinbusinesspracticeswillbenefitallstudents
acrosscampusduetothefactthattherewillnotbeasmuchwasteand,orpollution.
Inthisreport,myintentionistoexplorehowthepurchaseofcoffeecupsaffects
campuswasteandthewaysinwhichtheUniversityofNewMexicoUNMcanbetter
implementaccessiblerecyclingmethods.Whatmanydonotrealizeisthatdisposablecoffee
cupsareruiningthecleanlinessofthecampusthatstudents,staff,andvisitorsalluse.Idonot
intendformyresearchtosolvethegrowingepidemicoftrashbecauseIrealizethatcoffee
cupsarenottheonlywastesourcearoundcampus.However,thisisasmallfacetofthe
problemathandthatcanbequicklyandeasilyfixed.IbelievethatSatellitecoffeecupsare
amongtheleadingsourceofneedlesssurplus,andisnotstopping,butonlygrowingasthe
amountofstorehoursandstudentpopulationincrease..Alongwithmyresearch,Istrongly
believethattheamountofcoffeecupssoldwillonlyincreaseandtheamountofrecyclingwill
steadilydecreasesduetothelackofaccessibilityandthought.However,withmorevisibleand
accessiblerecyclingbinsIthinkthattheamountofstudentswhorecyclewillincreaseand
throwingawayacoffeecupwillnolongerbethenormwhileoncampus.
Methodology:
StepOne:ConductInterviewwithSatelliteManagement
Mymethodologywillbeginwithinterviewingthecoffeeshopmanagerandmultiple
studentsaroundcampus.IwillspeakwiththemanageroneononeattheUNMlocation
locatedintheSUB.ThemanagerIwillspeakwithoneononeatthelocation.Wewilldiscuss

thingssuchastherecyclabilityofSatellitescoffeecups,theamountofcoffeecupstheyserve
aday,andwhatactivemeasurestheyaretakinginpromotingagreencampus.
StepTwo:ConductInterviewswithStudentsonCampus
MyinterviewswithstudentswillbedoneatrandomaroundthecampuseveryMondayand
Wednesdaymorningattenoclocksharp.Iintendoninterviewingfifteenpersonsper
session.Thequestionsontheformwillinclude:
1. HowmanycupsofcoffeedoyoupurchasefromtheSatelliteCoffee(SUBlocation)
2.
3.
4.
5.

perday?
Onascalefrom15howlikelyareyoutorecyclethecupthatyouused?
Doyoufeelasifthereareenoughrecyclingreceptaclesplacedaroundcampus?
Wouldyourecyclemoreifrecyclingreceptaclesweremoreaccessible?
Wouldyouuseyourowncoffeecuptodrinkcoffeeoutofifthereweredealsforit?

Speakingwiththemanagerandgettingfeedbackfromstudentswillaidinmyunderstandingof
howunnecessarythewastereallyisandwaystohelpfindasolution.
StepThree:ObserveRecyclingBehavior
IwillobservetherecyclingbehaviorofmanystudentseveryMondayandwedesday
morningsattenoclockonseveraldifferentmorningsneartheSatellitelocationintheStudent
UnionBuildingofUNM.Eachmorningattenoclock,Iwillspendonehourobservingand
takingnotes.Iwilltakenotesofthesizeofcoffeecupspurchased,theamountpurchasedper
transaction,andthewaythecupsaredisposedof.Theseobservationswillallowmetocloser
understandtheextenttowhichUniversitystudents,faculty,andvisitorsrecycleordonot
recyclethecoffeecupsthattheyuse.
StepFour:ContactUniversityOfficials

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 7

IwillbeincontactwithUniversityofficialsontheirstancesaboutrecyclingon
campus.Throughemails,IplanongatheringtheessenceofUNMsstanceandcommitments
tomakingourcampusagreenone.Theyshouldalsobeabletogivemesomefactsandfigures
onthespecificsoftheschoolsrecyclingeffort.Thiswillhelpmeintheformulationofa
solutiontotheproblemathand.

Results:
IgainedalotofinformationfrommyinterviewswithSatellitemanagementandothers
walkingaroundUNM.FromthemangeratSatelliteIwasabletogatherthatcloseto400cups
ofcoffeearesoldadayatthelocationintheStudentUnionBuilding.Nearly350ofthesecups
arepapercupsthatmustbeputintorecyclingbinstobeproperlyrecycled.Additionallywere
theresultsfromtheinterviewswithUNMfaculty,staff,andguests.Theyareshowninthe
tablegraphbelow.bel

Majority Response
Percentages

ow.

FrommyobservationofrecyclingbehaviorthatIconductedIfoundthatthemajority
ofpeopledonotrecycletheircoffeecupsevenwhenthereisarecyclingbininthegeneral
areathatallowsforthemtodoso.Insteadtheywillthrowawaythecupsinthetrashorleave
themplacewheretheyarenotlikelytobepickedup.ThefollowingdataiswhatIgathered.

Number of Cups

Recycled
Thrown in Trash Can
Littered
Recycled Incorrectly

*Thedatainthechartisasfollows:Recycled15%,RecycledIncorrectly15%,Thrownin
TrashCan35%,Littered35%.Thesamplesizeofobservationswas100peopleoverthecourseof
severaldays.

MytimetalkingwiththeUniversityofNewMexicoofficialsdidnotgivemeany
numericalresultsbutitdidgivemetheofficialstanceoftheschoolonthematter.For
instance,UNMhasbeenworkingtowardcreatingagreencampusforthebetterpartofeight
yearsnow,accordingtoastudentinvolvedinthestudentgovernment.Also,asIwastoldby
anemployeeoftheDeanofStudentsoffice,UNMiscommittedtohelpingoncampus
businessandallstudentslearntobegreen.

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 9

DiscussionofResults:
Whilethenumberof350cupsofcoffeesoldattheSUBlocationofSatellitecoffee
mightnotsoundlikealotonasmallscale,butextrapolatingthisdatawillgiveusapossibility
of9,800cupsamonthand117,600ayear.Thisisatremendousamountofpapercupsthat
manypeopledonotconsider.Also,itisimportanttoconsiderthefactthatonlyabitover12%
ofcupsofcoffeesoldarerefillsintoreusablemugs.Ifmorepeopleusedthesemugswecould
seeabigreductioninthewasteofpapercups.
MysecondsetofresearchshowsthatmanypeoplebuycoffeeattheSatelliteon
campusinquestion30%ofthepeopleIinterviewedboughtmorethanonecupofcoffeeper
day.ThismeansthatapotentiallylargenumberofpeoplearoundtheUNMcampusarebuying
numerouscupsofcoffeeandhavealargeexposuretothisbusiness.Therestoftheresultsof
thequestionsaskedshowedthatmostofthepeopleIintervieweddidnotrecycletheircupsall
thetimeandthatifthereweremorerecyclinginitiativesmostwouldrecyclemoreoften.
Myresultsalsoshowedthatmanypeopledidnotdisposeoftheircupsproperlywith
manypeoplelitteringthemorthrowingtheminthetrash.Theonlyproperwaytodisposenon
reusablecupsistorecyclethemotherwisetheonlycontributefurthertothewastethatcanbe
seenlyingaroundcampus.
Lastly,theanswersIgotfromaskingUniversityofficialsaboutrecyclingatUNM
mostlyshowedthecommitmentUNMhastomakingchangestotherecyclingprogramsatthe
school.ThisservestogivehopetoreformersofbothSatellitesandthecollegesrecycling
efforts.Iftheschooliswillingtomakechangestobemoreecofriendlythenthatisamajor
stepintherightdirection.

ConclusionFinalRecommendation

:
Withthisincreasingamountofneedlesswaste,thecleanlinessofUNMscampusisat
stakeandweasacommunityarecontinuallygoingtobeatfaultifourhabitsdonotchange.
However,howareourhabitssupposedtochangeiftheUniversityisnotsupportingourneed
togogreeninahastilymanner?
Themainproblemisthatpeoplearenotgoingtostopbuyingthesecupsuntiltheyare
abletoseetheirdirectcontributiontotheneedlesswastetheycreate.Untilthen,customers
willnothesitatetobuynonreusablecupsandwilltherefore,continuetoaddtotheunneeded
wastearoundcampus.Tohelpcleanupourcampusandmakeitmoreaccessibletoevery
student,facultymemberandguestthatwalksthroughourcampusitisimportantthatwe
considerchangingjustonesmallaspectoftheproblem.
MyfinalrecommendationisanAnefficientwaytoreducetheepidemicofneedlesscup
wasteoncampuswouldbethroughLoboSwipes.Eachtimeanindividualbringshisorher
ecologicalcoffeecupaSatelliteemployeewouldswipetheirID,whichintheorywouldkeep
trackofhowmanytimestheymadeatransactionwithouttheproductionofcupwaste.After
theIDwasswipedfivetimesinarow,Satellitewouldthenofferthemafreecupofcoffee.
Otherformsofincentivessuchasthesewillencouragestudentstoshyawayfrompurchasing
paperbasedcups,inessencepromotingastaygreenlifestyle.
Inorderforallstudentstobepersonallyimpactedbythisproposaltousereusable
cups,Ithinkitisextremelyimportantforeachstudenttoseehowandwhyusingthese
alternativescupswillbenefittheirfutureasaLobo.Duetothefactthatcollegeisalreadyan
expenseandstudentsforthemostpartdonothaveextramoneytospendonareusablemugfor

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 1

1
coffeeortea,IaminfavorforallincomingfreshmantoreceiveaContigoMug.Inadditionto
afreemug,IthinkitisimportantforallUNMstudentstobeexposedtothebenefitsof
recyclingandthewaystheycouldbeaffectedbytheadvantageousresultofgoinggreen.Iam
awarethateachmugcostsabouttendollarsatmosttobuy,however,withthepurchaseof
thesecoffeecupsIthinktheUniversitywillpotentiallysavemoneyoncleaningupthecampus
duetothefactthattherewillbelesswasteoncampus.Secondly,Ithinkitwouldbebeneficial
tooffersomesortofincentivelikehostingamusicfestivalforallstudentsiftheyareableto
reachaspecificamountoftonsforrecyclingperacademicyear.Byprovidedthisformof
incentive,Itrustthatmorestudentswouldbeinclinedtouseareusablemugandrecycle
whatevertheycanaroundcampus.Lastly,inadditiontotheseincentivescreatedforstudentsif
morerecyclingbinswereplacedaroundcampusandtherewasmoreawarenessaboutour
environmentonandoffcampus,Ibelievemorestudentswouldfindthemselvesrecyclingand
UNMwouldstarttobecomeagreencampus.
Allinall,thereductionsofpaperbasedcupswillbenefittheUniversityasawhole
makingitabetterplacetolive,work,andstudy.TheUniversitywillneedtopromotethe
benefitsofreusablecups,sothatindividualswanttoparticipateinmakingachange.Bynot
providingcustomerswiththesevitalfacts,therewillcontinuetobeanincreaseofcupwaste
aroundcampus.

WorksCited
"ReusableCoffeeCups:ASimpleStepforaHugeImpact|Ecopedia."Ecopedia.N.p.,n.d.
Web. 12April.2016
"Physical Plant Department - The University of New Mexico." Physical Plant Department The

University of New Mexico. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.

Cups: The Waste Epidemic 1

3

DearElizabeth,
Reflection
For the past few weeks we have been learning about the different components used to create a
recommendation report that is appeals to all of our intended audiences. Before our MWA3 I
did not know how to used Microsoft efficiently and I did not know how to make graphs using
Excel and then transferring them to Word. However, after a lot of practice, I now feel
comfortable creating various graphs, charts, etc. when using word. Unlike English 110 or 120,
our class is not so much centered on learning outcomes that are associated with each
assignment, however these components still play a vital role in our learning. As I composed
the tools necessary for the completion of my report, I focused on making sure my information
was clear, concise, and organized, my tone of voice was relative towards my audience, and
lastly, that the composure of my documents met the professional standards of my audience and
accurately portrayed the waste epidemic at the University in the light it deserves.
The first step to any research is to fully understand and comprehend what you are
discussing. With that said, I realized that I must spend numerous hours researching and
tailoring my documents to the standards of my intended audience. I analyzed all possible
situations ahead of time in order to avoid discussing all unclear, fabricated information. I
found that this is a necessary step all should think about taking before diving into the
composition of his or her report and in this case, my research report. By not fully
understanding his or her topic, an individual can began to feel overwhelmed and flustered
when starting the process of his or her paper. For me, this was one thing I wanted to avoid and
in order to do so I made sure to create a well-detailed outline. By doing this, I felt ten times
more comfortable when writing my report.

Speaking with the manager at Satellite and the university officials help tremendously because
I was able to conduct accurate research. This helped in addition to my online research and
made me feel at ease when describing why the epidemic waste around campus needs to de
discussed and the ways this waste is affecting the students around campus directly.
With that said, before I drafted my research report, I spent a lot of time researching
what the cup epidemic was and the ways it is directly affecting students around campus. After
a lot of research, the amount of cup waste I found they helped was outstanding! Myresults
showedthatmanypeopledidnotdisposeoftheircupsproperlywithmanypeoplelittering
themorthrowingtheminthetrash.Ialsofoundthatmanypeoplewhobuycoffeeatthe
Satelliteinquestion30%ofthepeopleIinterviewedboughtmorethanonecupofcoffeeper
day.ThismeansthatapotentiallylargenumberofpeoplearoundtheUNMcampusarebuying
numerouscupsofcoffeeandhavealargeexposuretothisbusiness. After I calculated my
results, I decided to sit down to begin the first draft of my proposal. I found the first section to
be easiest and found that the level of difficulty steadily progressed as I got further and further
into the draft of my report. I also found citing materials to be the most difficult because I was
not sure where to cite my information. In addition to the in-text citations, I thought I would
have found the multimodal component to be the most challenging and surprisingly, I found
that creating visual aids that were appealing to my audience to be the most difficult. It took me
a lot of time to create accurate graphs and to make sure my paper accurately portrayed the
concepts entailed for a recommendation report. Universal Design Report. I also found doing a
voice over to be the most tedious due to the fact that I wanted this part of my presentation to
be as polished as possible. So as a result, I must have created about ten different drafts until I
felt that my jing video was ready material. For my presentation and report, my intended
audience was directed towards the Physical Plant Department at UNM and the students
attending the University. I found it difficult to adapt my report into a presentation due to the
fact that there was so much I wanted to talk about and I only had five minutes to highlight and
discuss all of the important concepts. For me, this was one of the most challenging tasks of the
MWA3 in its entirety. In contrast, my favorite part about this section was playing with the
creativity of my research report. All in all, I found this MWA3 to be extremely helpful and
helped me tremendously when structuring an effective research report.
Sincerely,
GabriellaDalton