It’s Time to Upgrade Your Tailgating Cup

solo cups

9-30-2019

No one can deny that the red Solo cup is a cultural icon: it makes us think of tailgating, BBQs, college parties and more recently, Toby Keith’s hugely popular song. When you fill one up this season, remember that the rigid plastic #6 cup is recyclable in our curbside program.

If thrown away, it doesn’t take a quick 14 years for a plastic cup to decompose, as Keith’s lyrics suggest. Estimates range closer to 450 years. That’s a long time, especially if you consider that, according to EarthDay.org, 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year. They’re one of the contributors to the 8 million metric tons of plastic that pours into our oceans every year. Plastic is a problem that isn’t going away on its own.

Even better than recycling your cups is switching to reusable! If you’re not in charge of party planning, just BYO reusable cup! Reusable plastic or aluminum work well — you can use a spare thermos, water bottle or even a glass mason jar.

If you’re party planning and want traditional red cups, you’ll find through an internet search that reusable versions are available. Another option: the University of Colorado Boulder just released reusable aluminum cups for their new football season.

If you’re stuck on single-use cups, stick to plastics that are recyclable. Avoid plastic cups labeled “compostable” or “biodegradable” — these plastics are not recyclable, and recyclable plastic is better for the environment.

That said, if your tailgating party just won’t be the same without the classic Solo cups, reuse them as much as you can, and then remember to recycle them.

Want more recycling and waste-related content? Subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter, The Loop, for the most current recycling, garbage and waste reduction news: bit.ly/TheLoop_signup