Ahhh… The Smoothie Machine. It’s here and ready to give you the smoothie of your dreams! But wait, wouldn’t a plastic cup make it a nightmare? Maybe not.
No matter what you’re in the mood for, Trendi has got you covered. Feeling like you need a little something tropical to brighten your day? Go for a Groovy Guava or Mango Tango. Ready to get your berry on? Strawburst and Berry Breeze will do just the trick. Each smoothie is made from 100% rescued fruits and veggies, so you can relax knowing that when you’re enjoying your smoothie, you are helping fight food waste too.
But how exactly do you get your smoothie? It’s a simple process – you walk up to The Smoothie Machine, decide on a flavour, tap your card and voila! A smoothie is blended in under 60 seconds and given to you in a recyclable plastic cup.
Why Recyclable?
Ideally, everyone would have their own cup in their back pocket that the machine could fill, but until our society does that, The Smoothie Machine cups are recyclable plastic. You might be wondering, isn’t compostable a better option? The answer is more complicated than that! Our team has spent countless days diving into the research of cup material options and found that using recyclable cups is actually the more sustainable way to go – for now.
Compostable plastic, also known as bioplastics, are types of plastic made from renewable resources such as corn starch, sugarcane, or other plant materials. These plastics are designed to break down in a commercial composting facility, where the conditions are carefully controlled over several weeks to ensure that the plastic breaks down completely. However, this process, and pickup services for it, are not readily available in British Columbia, meaning that any type of compostable plastic actually ends up in landfills – and that is the opposite of what we want.
Worse yet, misinformation about compostable plastic causes even more problems. People often make the assumption that compostable means that it can go with the municipal organics waste – but this actually contaminates that waste stream. The same thing happens when people mistakenly think a compostable plastic is recyclable, which in fact, contaminates the recycling process as well. Combining a lack of composting facilities with misinformation means this type of plastic is often causing more harm than good – that is until the infrastructure and community knowledge is more well established.
Recycling, on the other hand, is the process of collecting, processing, and remanufacturing materials that would otherwise be thrown away, such as paper, plastic, and glass. PET recyclable plastics are designed to be recycled multiple times, while not infinitely recyclable, and the process to renew these plastics takes energy and time, it outweighs the environmental impact of landfills full of compostable plastics.
So the conclusion we’ve arrived at is that recycling is the most sustainable option at this time as we have local facilities and general public knowledge that can accommodate such processes.
Driven By Sustainability
As you might have noticed by now, Trendi is committed to sustainability. By using recyclable cups, we’re making sure The Smoothie Machine has the least amount of environmental impact. We want to make sure our customers feel good knowing that the smoothie they are enjoying actually benefits the planet; we’re rescuing misfit produce, reducing waste and the overall demand for new resources. Who knew smoothies could taste so good and be so good for the planet?
Article written by:
Chloe Almeida, Marketing Coordinator
Chloe has always been interested in the “how” and “why” that create our social, cultural, and physical environment. With a background in health sciences, she is committed to spreading awareness and solving issues that affect public health and wellness.
