Considering Coffee Culture

What's your poison?  Are you a Latte lass, a Mocha man, or an Americano afficionado?  Does the thought of starting or getting through the day without your caffeine fix leave you rigid with fear or dread? Have you got one of those t-shirts that says "Give me the coffee, and nobody gets hurt"?

To a lot of people, coffee's not important.  They don't understand what all the fuss about, and why this particular substance has now become the second most traded world commodity (after oil), and that's fair enough.  We can't all like the same things. But to those of us who love it or feel we cannot live without it, coffee feels like the closest thing to the prospect of eternal life.  With more than 20,000 coffee shops and an ever-growing number of branded chains in the UK alone, tea sales are reportedly in free-fall, as coffee officially outstrips Britain's "traditional" drink of choice.

But how sustainable is your coffee habit?  Do you buy your morning or lunchtime fix in a disposable cup that then has to be gotten rid of, or do you take your reusable mug to the shop and get them to fill it for you?  Do you buy "any old coffee as long as it's cheap", or your specific favourite, no matter where it's come from or how it's packaged?  Or are you committed to buying Fairtrade coffee in recyclable packaging? It may not be something you've even thought about, but maybe it's time to start.

Consider this: On average, most of the world's coffee is produced in third world countries, where the coffee farmers receive just 10% of the eventual retail price of all the coffee they produce.  This is largely because the supply chain that governs coffee is so complex.  The result is over 100 million people growing coffee around the world who have missed out, traditionally, on most of coffee's profit potential.   70% of growers are smallholders and, as competition grows, a combination of price reductions and price wars (which are great for us as consumers) has left them exposed to the fluctuations of an incredibly volatile market. Along with the negative impact this has had on their living conditions, the drive for increased output has had a domino effect on their environments as well, and given that most coffee growing regions are also home to some of the most delicate eco-systems on our planet, the potential for serious and long term - if not irreparable - damage is high.

Reports suggest that the biggest source of environmental damage sustained in coffee production happens during the production of the beans themselves. Coffee grown by traditional means has been cultivated under a shaded canopy of trees, providing an important habitat for native animals and insects as well as preventing topsoil erosion and removing the need for chemical-based fertilizers. But the global surge in demand has had a big impact on the growing methods used, with massive implications on sustainability. Market demand has outstripped supply for this form of agriculture to keep pace with, and the result is coffee being grown with no forested canopies, with fertilisers becoming a necessity with a seriously detrimental effect on biodiversity. As a consequence of the need to "upgrade" growing methods to keep pace with demand, millions of acres of forest across the world have been cleared to make way for coffee farming. The WWF have observed that 37 of the 50 countries in the world with the highest deforestation rates are also coffee producers.

Happily, awareness of the plight of these coffee growers is increasing among those who have the power to make a positive difference.  More importers and consumers are beginning to understand that Fairtrade coffee cuts out the middleman, which gives farmers' cooperatives the chance to deal directly with retailers and ensure that coffee is bought at a price in line with what it costs to produce. The extra proceeds the farmers glean are then plowed back into investment in social and business development projects in their local areas such as scholarship programmes, healthcare services and quality improvement training. Fairtrade also provides significant protection against market fluctuations that would otherwise threaten the farmers' ability to make a living wage. 

 According to the Fairtrade Foundation, more than 6.4 million cups of Fairtrade coffee are now consumed each day, as an active consumer choice. Organic coffee sales are steadily increasing and a whole host of new Fairtrade brands have appeared on supermarket shelves, which are providing a wider ethical choice. Nevertheless, Fairtrade's six million cups pales in comparison to the overall total of around 70 million cups of coffee being consumed per day. The message is getting through but at less than 10%, we still have a long way to go!

Fairtrade aside, when it comes to reducing the environmental impact closer to home of a daily coffee habit, more and more businesses are starting to incorporate sustainable practice into the way they do business in general, and are thinking more about the cups they provide to their customers to drink from.  The big coffee chains (and some of the smaller ones too!) are constantly attempting to source disposable cups that are kind to the environment. Your cardboard cup might look and feel recyclable, but think again - many manufacturers coat the inside of these with plastic that effectively stops the cardboard absorbing the coffee but renders the ability to separate the two substances, in order to recycle the cardboard outer, an expensive and complicated process. Manufacturers are finding and starting to offer biodegradable solutions, and the hope is that they will be able to produce them cost effectively enough for the chains to agree to buy them.  It's all about profit margins, of course!

But it's not just about what the businesses are doing.  As consumers, we ALSO have huge power to make a positive difference, through taking fair responsibility for our environment. And, with increasing numbers of us opting to live more sustainably and help to preserve what's left of our natural resources, the bigger coffee chains have started offering customers an attractive retail line in reusable mugs, in an effort to persuade them to ditch the disposable option and go for what's reusable. So have some of the Service stations that offer their own coffee brands aimed towards people obtaining fuel,  It's a lot more common now to see people wandering about with their coffee "on the go", in a properly branded or cheerful, designer or funky mug.  It's an important step forward, in reducing waste, since most disposable cups end up in High Street bins, or office wastepaper baskets, instead of in an appropriate recycling bin or box. It's not always realistic of course, to assume we can carry a reusable mug everywhere we go (particularly if we happen to have a super-small handbag!), but there's no harm in keeping one in the car, and using it when we get the chance.  After all, if we're getting a drive thru coffee, or doing a quick double-park to dash in and get one, it's no hassle to have a travel mug and take it with us, so they can pour our coffee straight into our very own mug.

For those of us who brew coffee at home, there are also some great ways to be sustainable with the waste.  While coffee machines that take metal or plastic cartridges have limited and perhaps questionable opportunities for recycling both the coffee and the cartridges, the good old fashioned coffee plunger or filter machine enables good access to dregs that can be used in a variety of ways. Adding coffee grounds to soil will reduce the pH level and it will turn your hydrangea flowers a beautiful blue. They'll keep slugs at bay, attract soil-enriching worms to your garden and keep cats out of it.  They will also unclog your drains (with enough running water to help them), absorb smells in the fridge, act as a flea repellent for your dog, blend with cream for a great exfoliation treatment, and more besides. Used coffee grounds are so recyclable, it would be a huge opportunity lost, not to use them.

70 million cups of coffee drunk here in the UK every single day is a lot, and however much of that is served up in disposable cups that end up in landfill is still too much.  And those farmers across the world who help to make all that coffee available, and who have yet to get on the Fairtrade wagon, are struggling endlessly to provide for their families as the rise and fall in raw coffee prices leaves them uncontrollably vulnerable to the effects of the fluctuations.

We love our tipple, but we do need to protect it, and bring an end to the unfair exploitation of the people who provide it for us.  We also need to consider our own environment, and the implications of all that landfill.  Our disposable cups don't end up in a vortex that sucks them into some black hole and out of existence.  They stay here on earth, clogging up the landfill sites and taking forever to decompose.  Polystyrene, in particular, is a nasty substance that still awaits a really responsible way to be recycled.  It's less common than it used to be, but it's still out there, and we need to avoid it, so the demand falls to the level where it's no longer an option for production.

Next time you're enjoying a lovely, well-earned cup of coffee, spare a thought for the farmer who brought it to you, and his family, and what feels like well-earned to him.  Look at the cup you're using, and think about where it will go after you've finished with it. We can still enjoy our coffee as much as we ever have, but making responsible choices about the kind we buy, and what we do with the leftovers, organic and non-organic, needs to become an important part of that enjoyment.    

Last Tango In Phoneland

How many of us have old mobile phones hanging around in drawers or cupboards at home, that we once had plans for, but which now simply languish, forgotten and gathering dust? I've just put my own hand up, here, remembering at least two of these old relics, seething with evil chemicals and chock-full of recyclable parts, that have just been lying around 'while I made a decision on what to do with them', and I've simply got busy and forgotten all about them.  Now those old phones of mine (and probably yours as well!) are more or less obsolete, so of no real use as devices fit for modern-day purpose, as far as most users would want. But don't worry - that doesn't mean they can't find another, responsible destiny...

Most of us know that mobile phones have a rough shelf life of two good years, maximum, so its not long before they are replaced, which means that there are an awful lot just lying around.  They also contain a variety of components, such as plastics and metals - some of which are potentially valuable and reusable, such as silver. While that phone lying there at the back of the drawer probably won't make you rich with its silver content, it does have value in any number of ways, to other people if not to you.  Charities such as Oxfam and the Red Cross will accept old phones, as they can get money for them when they send them to phone recyclers.  Friends or family can often be grateful for the temporary use of an "old" mobile phone that still works, if they've broken or lost their own and are awaiting a replacement.  I had a friend come over to stay with me from another country, so she was able to borrow my old phone on a PAYG plan while she was here that worked out a lot cheaper than the international roaming plan she was on from her own country. 

Working phones can be sold on eBay or via the various second hand and pawn shops dotted around in most towns and cities. Your chances of getting the best price are greatly enhanced if you still have the original box, operating instructions and any dedicated accessories that make the phone an attractive prospect, such as a spare battery, good quality earphones, car charger, etc.  Just be aware of what commission you may have to pay in any selling process before you make the deal.  By the time eBay has taken its commission, you might have ended up with a better price from a High Street pawn shop!

But what of the phones that are too old, obsolete, broken, or simply dead for reasons unknown?  Sometimes, unless you have insurance, it's cheaper to buy a new phone than to get an existing one fixed.  What's meant to happen to those? You can of course simply take them to a local household waste and recycling centre and put them into a designated container, but charity shops (and their beneficiaries) will be a lot more grateful for the same sort of effort you would make doing that, to be directed towards them instead, to enable them to dispose of the phones responsibly and derive a little income from doing it. 

Well, aside from the already mentioned charity shops, old dead phones can also be offloaded on freebie websites, since there's always someone who wants to use them for repair practice, working on the basis that they do sometimes get lucky, get them working and make a little profit.  The various internal parts can be valuable to someone who knows what they're doing, for largely the same reasons.  Mobile phones contain aerials, battery connectors, PCBs (printed circuit boards), connectors including gold-coated edge contacts on PCBs, ICs (integrated circuits), keyboards, LCD screens, lenses, microphones, phone housings, screws, SIM card assemblies and speakers. 

When a mobile phone has dished up all its bits of any value, it is then typically ground up, and all remaining useful metal content is extracted, including the metal in the battery. So there's a lot more of value than you first might think.  And someone who knows how to get at the silver, through the dedicated process of extraction, is definitely onto something and will happily run off into the sunset with that antiquated brick you used to love!  The plastic bits are also recoverable, and can be re-formulated to be used as various industrial and domestic mouldings.

The Responsibility

Mobile phone disposal should never be included in the conventional dumping of household waste.  Why?  Because plastic doesn't break down, metals can corrode, and valuable resources that could have been recycled in any number of positive ways are left to languish in the earth.  Even more importantly, mobile phones contain some incredibly nasty chemicals such as lead, mercury, bromine, and cadmium.  Let's take a look at these little lovelies that have been nestling nicely next to your ear for however long...

Lead: research suggests that lead exposure (particularly in children) leads to growth, hearing and concentration problems, along with headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, digestive problems, learning disabilities, antisocial behaviour and even brain damage.

Mercury: long term exposure to mercury can lead to memory problems, double vision or blindness, tachycardia, hypertension, seizures and potentially death.

Bromine: bromine poisoning lowers blood pressure and can lead to brain or permanent kidney damage.  The central nervous system can be affected, and thyroid function can be impaired, leading to memory problems, learning difficulties and hyperactivity.

Cadmium: compelling research indicates that this well known carcinogen can also cause lung inflammation, respiratory failure, gene mutations, DNA breaks and cell transformation, leading to severe and sometimes fatal birth defects.

So, overall, not the happiest of lists then, huh? And not the kind of stuff we'd happily be responsible for allowing to seep into places where it could cause real and serious harm...

More information about the toxicity threat of exposure to mobile phone components can be found by clicking the blue skull!

Left in landfill sites, and not responsibly recycled, mobile phones can leach these and other toxic chemicals into the earth, which can find their way into vital water systems and compromise human and animal health.  Not only is it irresponsible to dispose of mobile phones (and other electronic items too, such as laptops etc) in such a way, it is also a missed opportunity - to reuse valuable resources that are finite on our planet.

So even if you've got an old dinosaur-phone that you don't believe anyone else would want, think again!  And, rather than having it sitting there forever and a day, ageing not-so-gracefully, gurgling away with all its chemicals, attracting layer upon layer of dust or lying forlornly in a forgotten box somewhere under the bed, if it's not heavy enough to weigh down a dead body (in those times when you need that), it probably isn't of any real use to you.

If it has no real resale value and you need to get rid of it, please do think about your local charity shop.  There's bound to be one, not far from where you live, that you could drop it into.  Charity shops need all the help they can get.  They work hard to help the less fortunate, and supporting them by donating your old mobile phone does three significant things: 1) the charity gets a little money for the phone to use to help its beneficiaries, 2) the components are dealt with safely and appropriately recycled to avoid harm to health and the environment, and 3) one more old dust trap is gone from your house! 

Disclaimer: The information in this article has been directly derived from online research publications, and no responsibility can be taken for any inaccuracies thus reported.