The University of Washington unveiled a compostable drink cup from Coca-Cola that will be the standard container at all soft drink dispensers at sites managed by the school’s Housing & Food Service department. Though a biodegradeable lid for the cups is still under development, the move represents the final piece in UW’s strategy to deploy a comprehensive line of environmentally friendly servingware and food containers in its dining units to meet a City of Seattle July 2010 deadline for all businesses to convert to recyclable or compostable utensils.
The new compostable cup, described as the first of its kind for dispensed drinks, was developed in partnership between UW, Coke, International Paper and Cedar Grove Composting. The cup, which was first tested in UW eateries in November, costs eight cents per unit, about twice the cost of the standard cups used up to this time, but the university says it will not increase prices to compensate. the new eco-friendly version is twice as costly as its ‘unfriendly’ counterpart, but this will not affect food or drink prices, Meyering said.
