One loyal coffee drinker shared how their local shop is reusing old milk cartons.
One customer showed off the innovative way their local coffee shop is repurposing old milk cartons into cup holders on Reddit. The photo is of two coffee cups in a square carton that has been modified into an ingenious way to carry coffee.
Watching a quick YouTube video makes it clear that this is not only a smart idea but is very easy to execute. Simply take your empty square carton and cut two Xs into the side. Then, you can stick your cups or bottles into your new holder.
This is a great way for the coffee shop to save money instead of purchasing a separate item to serve the same purpose. According to the Container Recycling Institute, Americans throw away more than 400 drink containers per person annually. While the cardboard holder that sometimes comes with a large order would only make up a fraction of that number, eliminating them from the equation could help reduce waste.
This post is an excellent example of reusing, but it's important to ensure that items are recycled properly when you are done with them. The EPA reports that while recycling rates in the U.S. have increased over the last several decades, only about 30% of recyclable items are saved from landfills.
Recycling properly is essential to reducing how much trash ends up in landfills — a major source of planet-warming gas methane.
Some items that aren't recyclable, like clothing, may be eligible to mail in for cash or store credit through programs like Trashie.
The comment section got a bit derailed by some cats in the photo's background, but a couple of reuse fans loved this drink carton. One person said, "This is awesome on so many levels!!"
"That's really cool," another commenter wrote.
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