Tim Hortons - double cupping
Tim Horton's is a Canadian Institution in Quick Service Food. I cannot fathom the number of sour cream glazed donuts and turkey breast sandwiches I have consumed over the years. Hot chocolate too. However, another unfortunate Canadian institution is the number of Tim Horton's cups one sees littered on the ground. Jacqueline points out that one of the reasons for this is the fact that Timmy's still double cups their hot beverages, no matter what the situation is. Dining in? Double cup. In your car? Double cup. This is both wasteful and unnecessary.
My assumed rationale behind the amount of packaging: To protect consumers from scalding/burning. Also, volume discounts on purchasing cups instead of buying separate components (i.e. sleeves, ceramic cups)
Alternative considerations: Starbucks successfully reduced waste and saved cost by instituting the usage of ceramic cups for in-house drinks. They also use recycled paper sleeves to protect consumers from scalding themselves. Tim Horton's should also push their reusable mug discount program a bit harder (you pay for a small if you bring in your own mug).
Let Tim Horton's what you think! They can be contacted via email at customer_service@timhortons.com or via phone at 1-888-601-1616. Snail mail is also feasible, at:
874 Sinclair Road
Oakville, ON L6K 2Y1
Tel: (905) 845-6511
Fax: (905) 845-0265
Labels: double cup, takeout, Tim Hortons
posted by hkm @ 9:07 PM
7 Comments:
Getting a tea with double cup means that you have somewhere to put your teabag when you extract it from your beverage.
point well taken, ken. do you usually consume tea not in a close proximity to a garbage container/green bin? what do you usually do at other tea places that only have one cup?
I think Tim Hortons is an ideal candidate for this website. They already serve soups and chili in reusable bowls in store. I think the problem here is implementation. Starbucks can get away with ceramic cups for a few reasons. 1) You're spending double or more at Starbucks, which I'm sure certainly helps the cost of replacing mugs. 2) Starbucks markets itself as a calm, take your time atmosphere where Tim Hortons markets itself as quick and efficient. Ceramic cups are simply another marketing tool for them. Most Tim Hortons I've been to have 15 minute time limits. With that kind of turnover, that is a lot of dishes. 3) Few people order coffees at Starbucks. Drinks like Venti soy chai tea latte with foam and a caramel shot still come in plastic containers. Few people order things other than coffee or tea at Tim Hortons (except Iced Caps....but I never see Iced Capp litter for some reason)
Far Coast has an interesting solution, and one designed for Tim Horton's style of convenience and speed. I believe they have corrugated insulation built right into the cup (if my memory serves me right... it's been a while since I've had a hot drink there)
I have worked at a few TIm Hortons in Alberta and the ones with Dining Rooms do use china cups.
I am also deeply troubled by the double cup policy. I have seen that other provinces (I think Ontario) has recycled paper sleeves and I have even seen some made of fabric which are reusable. Another troubling fact is that in Alberta we do not have cup recycling which I have also seen in other provinces. I would also like to look into the laws and regulations for donating the food that isn't consumed. We throw out giant garbage bags full of food that hasn't been touched by others.
Thanks Christina for your insight! I'm glad you could add the inside scoop.
I know that they are currently working on this conundrum with a large consulting firm, so they are aware of it, but it is really a complicated problem, since there are so many jurisdictions to cover off with waste.
For example, in Toronto where you can recycle paper cups (or you can, but you aren't supposed to because they have a waxed lining), the cups are rendered unrecyclable if you toss them into recycling with the plastic lid on top. Machines cannot separate these things.
I also don't know how much uptake there has been on reusable cups - I see all the major coffee chains offering this as an option but really, who will wash their own cup? I have tried, but I am quite inconsistent. Perhaps we might even move to offering mini-sinks at quick serve restaurants. Let's see what happens next....
Some studies have shown that you have to reuse a ceramic mug 500 times or more to equal the waste and energy of the same number of disposable cups. This is mainly because you have to wash the mug after every use. It seems like the best solution for to go orders would be a paper cup with a reusable sleeve. Of course I'm biased because I make cork cup sleeves, but we make them because we came to that conclusion. www.coolcorc.com
That's a neat product, Josh! It is interesting to see what different life cycle analyses yield in regards to environmental impacts - would you be able to share that info?
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