Over the last three posts, we’ve looked at the costs of lattes and examined consumer reactions to a change in the price of soy lattes. Today, we shall zoom in on some of the observations I made at the café!
From disposable tea bags to metal tea infusers
Usually, to prepare a pot of tea, tea leaves are scooped into a disposable tea bag, placed into a teapot before hot water is added.
Here’s the disposable tea filter bags!
However, a month ago, things changed. The disposable tea bags were out of stock! Fortunately, a glass of metal tea infusers came to our rescue.
The saviour of all tea orders!
According to my manager, these metal tea infusers have always been present in the café. But, they’re not used as tea leaves tend to get stuck in the small holes of the infusers, making it difficult to wash off.
I would say the shortage of disposable tea bags is actually a blessing in disguise! It has forced us to find other solutions in serving tea – by using a metal tea infuser. Although it may be more troublesome to wash the infuser, it reduces much more waste than using a disposable tea bag. On average, there’s about 25 orders of tea in a day. By using the metal tea infuser, it could save 9125 tea bags in a year!
It is interesting how things have changed. Usually, disposables would come to the rescue when reusables are all used up. This time round, it’s the opposite. Sometimes, a crisis may be what’s needed to drive us towards sustainability!
The reuse and recycle corner
During the Circuit Breaker period, the café wasn’t busy and so my co-worker decided to tidy up the workplace. While doing so, she found a metal magazine holder, and decided to repurpose it to contain used plastic bags.
We found a new life for the old magazine holder!
When I asked her why she wanted to do that, she said it was purely to make the area look neater and less cluttered. Over time, the magazine holder was filled with more used plastic bags, and all of us started using these plastic bags to bring leftovers home. One day, I decided to attach another bag to the magazine holder to store recyclables like paper and plastic packaging.
Spot that sneaky plastic bag with recyclables in it?
However, I didn’t inform any of my co-workers on this ‘project’. I collected whatever recyclables I could find and threw them into the plastic bag. After a few days, I was surprised to see that the number of recyclables in the bag increased! When I asked my co-workers why they decided to join in on recycling, they mentioned that they didn’t know the bag contained recyclable materials! They merely gathered items that were similar to those in the bag and added to the collection. It is pretty interesting how sometimes, we may not have the intention to live sustainably, but do so unknowingly. Through the clean-up exercise by my co-worker and my mini ‘project’, I’ve come to realise that there is a spark of green in everyone and it is purely a matter of whether we realise it or not. After all, humans may not be as selfish and wasteful as we deem. Don’t you think so?
Every small move we make unknowingly adds a little more to the final picture 🙂
Fei October 31, 2020
Hello Jo!!
It was really interesting that your co-workers decided to ‘take part’ in your project just because they saw some items in the plastic bag. I have always felt that people often neglect ‘greener’ alternatives/actions as they are not used to seeking those ‘greener’ methods and also for convenience’s sakes. For instance, sticking to the container of liquid shampoo they are currently using rather than purchasing a shampoo bar to use. What do you think? Do you think that people often neglect these alternatives?
Looking forward to your reply!!
– Fei
jolee2001 November 2, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Ong Fei!
Thank you for reading my post! I feel that most people are indeed not used to opting greener alternatives. This may be because they have yet to see the long term benefits of using these alternatives. Furthermore, they may have been used to the container of liquid shampoo (for instance), and do not see the need to change their habits in using it. However, I believe that with advertisements and people around them introducing greener alternatives, they would be exposed to these alternatives. This could get them to start trying out greener alternatives and phase out the less eco-friendly options. Nevertheless, this would not happen overnight and often takes a long time for people to change their options of a certain product. This could be due to the need to familiarise themselves with the new item (greener alternative) they are using, or even due to the changes in amount of money they have to spend. Hope this answers your question!
– Jo
Joanna Coleman November 4, 2020
Hey Ong Fei & Jo,
If I may, I switched to bar shampoo nearly a year ago. I can say, without reservation, it works just as well and isn’t really more expensive. Even though the bar is quite pricey, it lasts a very long time and lathers incredibly well. This also saves time because I run out less often.
jc
yinchuan November 2, 2020
Hey Jo,
This is so cool! I work at a cafe too and I’ll definitely try to set up secret recyclable points as well haha. I was wondering about your thoughts on hygiene in the F&B industry and environmental solutions. I know that some establishments are unwilling to compromise for “hygiene” reasons. So what are some ways we can try to help them curb this issue?
jolee2001 November 3, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Yin Chuan!
Hahaha I’m looking forward to your co-workers’ reactions when they see the secret recycle points! Indeed, there are companies who are unwilling to compromise due to hygiene reasons. For instance, plastic packaging are used for most items that are displayed – to ensure that the food is not exposed to the surrounding. I feel that one way to reduce plastic waste and yet still maintain the hygiene standards will be to put only one item on display, keeping the rest covered. This allows customers to still physically see how the food item looks like before their purchase. When they would like to purchase the food item, the staff could then pack the items into alternative packaging like paper bags. Another example I could think of will be that many F&B industries use disposable gloves during their food preparation processes, to ensure that their hands do not come into direct contact with the food. I feel that gloves are still needed to ensure that the basic hygiene standards of food preparation are met. As such, the best we could do will be to suggest alternatives like compostable food prep gloves. Of course, it would take some time for businesses to adapt to this change, due to a (probably) higher cost incurred when using compostable food prep gloves.
Overall, I feel that while the environment needs to be cared for, hygiene also needs to be taken into consideration, as it involves the safety of humans. Hence, the best that we can do for now will be to suggest greener alternatives or habits as a compromise. There will be tradeoffs, which include more work for the staff in the F&B industry. However, this is necessary to ensure that hygiene standards are met and the environment is cared for.
– Jo
Joanna Coleman November 4, 2020
Hi Chuan & Jo,
I used to work at a museum that educated people about microbiology, biotech & immunology. A big part of our job was teaching about food safety.
There are good reasons to question the necessity of gloves for food prep.
Here are two resources…
https://www.delish.com/restaurants/a27153285/why-chefs-dont-wear-gloves/
https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/10/glove-use-doesnt-necessarily-mean-safer-food/
jolee2001 November 4, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Dr Coleman,
Thank you for bringing up this issue. I have also came across similar articles which mentioned that people tend to not wash their hands as often when gloves are being used. Even I am guilty of simply wearing a glove over my hands to prepare a sandwich right after I’ve keyed in the orders (without washing my hands). Indeed, gloves may seem to be unnecessary since puncturing of gloves and the usage of one over a long period of time may still lead to bacteria and germs getting in contact with the food. It would be great if businesses could do without gloves during food prep. However, that would mean that strict regulations need to be implemented to ensure that all staff are well trained to wash their hands thoroughly before getting in contact with food with their bare hands. All staff would also have to be disciplined to not take any short-cuts even if there is a long list of orders to prepare in a short amount of time.
Given that many people still have the perception that it is necessary to put on gloves while preparing food, businesses should be responsible for updating customers on the change in their standard operation procedures – gloves are not worn, but all staff are required to wash their hands thoroughly before preparing the food. This is to reassure customers that all safety and hygiene standards are not breached during the food preparation process.
Overall, I feel that gloves can be done without. However, to do so, it would require strict hygiene standards held by businesses and customers would also have to trust the staff in their hygiene and safety standards. It would take some time for customers especially, to adapt to this change. Hence, it would be good for businesses to gradually cut down the use of disposable gloves before completely phasing it out.
– Jo
Joanna Coleman November 12, 2020
Hey Jo,
Thanks for your detailed reply, but…
why, oh why, did you have to tell me you touch the cash register with gloves on and then prep food without changing them ?
cos, of course, now i’m like : well, she’s obviously not the only one, and now i’m going to have to be that demanding customer who asks the person serving me : did you change your gloves before you prepped my food ?
slightly traumatised…
jolee2001 November 12, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Dr Coleman!
Ah I might not have explained properly >< I meant that I key in the orders through the cash register (without gloves) and then, quickly slip on some gloves to prep the food, instead of heading to the sink to wash my hands before wearing the gloves!
I hope you're not that traumatised after reading this!
– Jo
Joanna Coleman November 4, 2020
Hi Jo,
Could I please…
1) ask a Q : many tea bags are made with plastic (which is gross, in and of itself, IMO). But there are compostable alternatives. Still disposable, but you can just toss them in your compost bin. How would you go about comparing the environmental footprint of these compostable bags with the footprint of the reusable filters ?
2) give a caution : pls don’t put plastic bags in with recyclables. In no jurisdiction I’m aware of are plastic bags currently recyclable and, in many cases, they can damage recycling machinery. As in, even if the bag has a symbol on it saying it’s recyclable, it’s not.
jc
jolee2001 November 4, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Dr Coleman,
I would think that in the short term, the environmental footprint of reusable filters may be higher than that of compostable tea bags. That is so as large amounts of energy and water is needed to produce the stainless steel tea filters/infusers. For instance, electricity used in the production of stainless steel alone (7g – for one metal tea infuser) accounts for about 0.00000343 tonnes of CO2 emissions according to this reading. Together with other processes in the production of the final product, more CO2 emissions would be produced. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any concrete carbon emission data for the production of teabags. However, I assume that it would be lower than that of a stainless steel tea filter, since the materials used are generally natural, making it suitable for composting. I believe that in the long run, however, the stainless steel tea filter would be more sustainable than the compostable tea bags. This is so as although some tea bags are claimed to be compostable, there is still a non-biodegradable skeleton left behind, making it not fully compostable. Just like how a metal straw needs to be used at least 150 times to compensate the environmental impacts of producing one, I believe it applies the same for the metal tea infuser. Perhaps, the tea infuser would need to be used even more than 150 times to offset the environmental degradation it has caused during its production process.
Also, thank you for the caution! I would let my friends and co-workers know about that too 🙂
-Jo
Joanna Coleman November 12, 2020
wow – what an awesome reply !
Si Ying November 4, 2020
Hi Jo,
I was wondering if you knew whether the cafe will go back to using the disposable tea filter bags when they are back in stock? Other than being difficult to clean, are there any other reasons why the metal tea infusers are not usually used? I believe it will save costs in the long run and it’s more sustainable too, so it would be a reasonable choice to switch to reusable infusers instead, what do you think?
– Si Ying
jolee2001 November 5, 2020 — Post Author
Hello Si Ying!
I haven’t been back to work for a long time, but will be going back this Saturday! I heard from my co-workers that the disposable tea filter bags were back in stock. However, they are still using both the metal tea infusers and disposable tea bags! Well, at least they didn’t keep the metal tea infusers back into the cupboards, and I feel that is a great improvement. This shows that they are slowly opening up to the idea of using the metal tea infusers despite it being more troublesome to wash. Another reason for using disposable tea filter bags initially was due to convenience. It was much easier and neater to wash the entire teapot for the next order. By using disposable tea filter bags, all the tea leaves are enclosed in the bag. Whereas when the metal tea infuser is used, tea leaves are loose and it makes the washing process messy, since tea leaves tend to stick to our hands and the teapot while we try to wash it. On the other hand, we could just throw the entire pack of tea leaves away when disposable tea filter bags are used.
I feel that these metal tea infusers are more sustainable in the long run too! However, I am unable to find out how much better it is to the environment compared to disposable tea filter bags. I believe that the best way will be to brew a cup of tea with just the tea leaves immersed in hot water, as it would not require any filter (reusable or disposable), and as such be the most sustainable way. However, it would be inconvenient for many, and people may not be as receptive to this idea as of now. Hence, the use of reusable infusers would be a better choice for now!
– Jo
chanyeeqi November 5, 2020
Hello Jo!
You’ve got so many comments but I couldn’t resist leaving one too! I think this is super cool, and it’s always been my dream to work at a cafe though my circumstances don’t allow it! I’m so glad to see how your little initiative sparked off something so beautiful, and I love that your co-workers hopped on your project without even realising it! And that brings hope to our communities, whereby all we need is one person to start an action, and often people will follow after.
But indeed, it’s quite shocking that disposable tea bags are used instead of the metal tea diffusers, has that always been the case? And is this a similar trend for other cafes as well?
Thanks for your inspiring post!
jolee2001 November 5, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Yee Qi 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post! It is indeed quite shocking to see that disposable tea bags instead of reusable infusers are being used. I don’t really order tea for a drink, but I do see the use of disposable tea bags in cafes that I’ve visited. In fact, most of the cafes I’ve visited serve hot tea brewed using tea bags that we can buy off the shelves of the supermarket! (That’s why I don’t get tea from cafes as I can get them at a cheaper price from the supermarkets ><) Not many of them use loose tea leaves ordered in bulk, to brew their tea. While writing up this post and replying to the comments, I've also found out that most commercial tea bags contain microplastics in them! That makes it unsafe for us and the environment 🙁 Here's a short article that you can take a look! However, there are some brands that are working on producing plastic-free tea bags. Though they are plastic-free, the article also mentioned that tea bags that are made of vegetable-based plastics are not biodegradable, and can only be degraded by big scale industrial composting facilities. As such, I’d still believe that nothing beats drinking tea brewed with loose tea leaves! (It saves the need for any tea infusers, which saves resources :))
– Jo
clivetan November 5, 2020
Hi Jo,
Thanks for the very interesting read and diving into primary research so often to give us such interesting insights. Your sentence “I’ve come to realise that there is a spark of green in everyone and it is purely a matter of whether we realise it or not.” was interesting as I haven’t really thought of it this way before. I think that the number of people going green or in this case, recycling, might be more related to convenience than we realise. I imagine that if recycling were more continuous with our lifestyles, the rate of recycling would be much higher. What do you think?
Clive
jolee2001 November 6, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Clive!
I’m happy to be able to provide you with a new perspective 🙂 I do agree with you that recycling for instance could be closely linked to convenience. Previously, I did not have the habit of recycling and would simply throw everything down the rubbish chute. That was mostly due to the fact that there wasn’t a recycling bin near my place and as such I didn’t bother to do so. However, after I moved, I found out that there was a recycling bin just under my block. I would pass by that recycling bin whenever I got out of my house. As such, that encouraged me to start my recycling journey. Furthermore, since the bin near my house was a blue recycling bin which allows us to combine all recyclables, it made recycling much more convenient. I just had to collect all recyclables and empty them into the common recycling bin that’s just a few steps away from my house! Hence, I do also believe that if recycling was made more convenient and is more integrated in our lifestyles, the recycling rates would increase.
Nonetheless, by solely making it more convenient for us to recycle will not increase the rates of recycling. Public education would also be key in increasing the rate of recycling. I feel that many people are still unsure of what can or cannot be recycled (even I am sometimes uncertain too :(). Even with the blue recycling bins introduced, I still see some trash in them! As such, the public needs to be well educated on the usage of these blue recycling bins, to ensure that they are used correctly and solely for recycling purposes! I believe that by making recycling more convenient and educating the public well on recycling efforts, the rate of recycling could be much higher 🙂
– Jo
clivetan November 7, 2020
Hi Jo,
Thanks for your response! I agree with your point on education. I also feel that the knowledge of the community on what can or cannot be recycled is lacking… We still have a long way to go in this aspect!
Clive
Joanna Coleman November 12, 2020
Hi Jo & Clive,
In many jurisdictions, failure to recycle (i.e., throwing recyclables in the garbage) and strict limits on per household solid waste generation are enforced via a combo of fines, fees & infrastructure measures.
What is your reaction to a proposal that the govt :
1) charge households per kg of solid waste generated
2) remove rubbish bins from public spaces, like sidewalks, parks, shopping centres, etc. – this is what’s done in Japan
3) replace rubbish chutes with bins next to recycling bins, so everyone must go down to the bins and is “forced” to confront the recycling bins
4) fine ppl who throw recyclables in the rubbish bin?
Thanks !
jolee2001 November 13, 2020 — Post Author
Hi Dr Coleman,
I feel that
1) Although this could be a good measure to discourage waste production, it is a rather strict policy and could gain negative reactions from the public. For instance, more people would want this policy to be removed as it is impossible for them to live without producing any waste. Furthermore, given that the standard of living in Singapore is so high, having to pay for our waste generated would add on to our expenses.
2) I am quite shocked to hear about this measure! It may sound like a good plan to get people to generate less waste, as they will have nowhere to throw them. However, this could cause people to throw their rubbish into any bin (including a recycling bin), thereby contaminating the content and affecting the recycling process. Another potential issue of removing rubbish bins from public spaces would be littering and resultant land pollution. People may end up throwing rubbish on the ground as they cannot find any bin around them. This leads to the issue of poor hygiene and cleanliness. However, with proper education of the public and a gradual introduction of this measure, I’m sure this method will be pretty effective in discouraging waste generation.
3) I feel that this could be the most feasible idea! This is so as this measure does not entirely remove rubbish bins or replace them with recycle bins. It gives the public a means of throwing their rubbish away. For the case of Singapore, many house owners dislike the idea of having a rubbish chute in their house. This is as it may be quite dirty and unhygienic to have one in the house. Also, when the pest control company does their monthly spraying of pesticides in the drains, cockroaches and other pests will enter households through these rubbish chutes. As such, there may not be much disagreements regarding the removal of rubbish chutes. Furthermore, the fact that rubbish bins are placed right beside the recycling bins, could encourage people to be exposed to the presence of recycling bins. This could motivate one to learn more about the recycling bin and even find out more about what items can or cannot be recycled.
4) I guess I just don’t really like the idea of fining people 🙁 It really doesn’t make sense to fine a person without finding out why he or she threw recyclables into a rubbish bin. He or she could have not been well educated about what recyclable materials are and as such regard everything useless as trash. It would not have been intentional to throw these recyclables into a rubbish bin. Instead of encouraging recycling, this punitive measure could discourage people from doing so, especially those who do not agree with the law of fining.
– Jo
Joanna Coleman November 14, 2020
Thanks so much for your thoughtful replies to my proposals !