part in cup return schemes. Inventors and innovators started to pitch possible replacements, with (industrial) compostable cups, triple-lined paper cups, and even edible cups suggested as possible replacements to the muchmaligned single-use containers. But such initiatives stalled when the Covid-19 pandemic appeared on the scene. When coffee shops reopened after lockdown, single-use cups were the only options available to customers – despite scientific research proving that there was no risk of transmission of the virus through the use of reusable cups. FINDING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS If reusable containers are to continue to be sold, then there must be ways of preventing the excess waste and pollution. I visited a paper mill in the Lake District who process and recycle used PE-lined single-use coffee cups. The company receive in-store waste from large coffee brands based in the UK, as the virgin paper-board used in cups is of high value for them, and they are able to produce quality goods for clients, including greetings cards, high-end packaging for exclusive retailers, and notebooks. They created a process that separates the PE-lining, which is incinerated in a waste-for-energy process, although this also has potential negative environmental consequences. This solution can deal with PE-lined single-use cups, but any innovations that do not use virgin paper-board, or which use other plastic-based materials, cannot be processed due to the threat to the environment from resultant microplastics. Additionally, the process only deals with waste collected in-store – clearly when people buy their coffee to takeaway, the cup is unlikely to be returned to the store, and most still end up in litter bins, collected by local authorities and destined for landfill. NEW INFRASTRUCTURES So what infrastructures are required? Any new innovation needs to have the correct pathway for cups when they have finished their life with the customer. Here at Lancaster, we have bins specifically for PE-lined coffee cups, but what happens when these bins are contaminated with other waste, or with non-PE lined cups that cannot follow a route for recycling? Whose responsibility is it? Clearly, any new innovation requires a network to be set up to collect the waste, but in doing so, a dismantling of different networks is required, and when economic interests are in place, there will be resistance. When the Chemistry work succeeds, and a material is produced to replace PE-lining, then what infrastructures does this require, what expectations of human behaviour are assumed, and who will resist such innovation? To build an innovation into an already established network demands a process of exnovation – a concept for studying the withdrawal of unsustainable technologies or materials. My recent analysis explored disassociations and resistance to disassociation when attempting to engineer an absence, whether materially or symbolically. The study revealed a couple of major points. Firstly, innovation does not guarantee success without disrupting already established actor-networks. Secondly, design needs to factor in unexpected human behaviours when considering the end-of-life for the product. Where infrastructure is in place, assumptions that people will be disciplined in how they dispose of their waste cannot be relied upon. The single-use coffee cup has become a ubiquitous daily item for many people in society, symbolising how busy, cool and important we are. For a device that is used, on average, for only 13 minutes, it is easy to see how the waste has become problematic by the sheer numbers sold. Recycling is possible, so the next time you buy a coffee in a single-use cup, ask the retailer what is the best way of disposing when you have finished your drink. Colin Hill is a PhD researcher in the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology. His PhD is part of the Material Social Futures (MSF) programme, funded by The Leverhulme Trust. c.hill12@lancaster.ac.uk FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 33
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