I was getting off the bus on my way to a craft swap, and I was mind-numbingly sleep-deprived. I needed coffee immediately and almost cried with happiness when I saw the sign outside the new electric car dealership. "Hip Drip Cafe," or something. Whatever. They had coffee.I bought a cup and started feeling guilty when I got to the airpots to fill up. There was a sign encouraging patrons to bring their own cups -- you'd save 25 cents -- and I've been really working to reduce my waste lately. I mentally reminded myself to bring the cup home, so I could compost it and recycle the plastic lid. I grabbed the lid and... discovered Tater Ware.
Tater Ware is, as the cup lid indicates, made of potatoes. They are 100% biodegradable and, if you're worried about those things, GMO free. In addition to the to go cup lid I had on my coffee, the company makes clamshell takeout containers, deli trays, cutlery, and hot/cold cups. The products are "microwarmable" (you can use them to reheat food and beverages in the microwave) and, yep, they can go straight in the compost pile.
Most importantly, my coffee did not have a potato-ey aftertaste. My next campaign: convincing my neighborhood coffee shop to switch to Tater Ware. Someone's got to keep Idaho in business!
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2007 @ 7:20PM
RobynT said...
i think this is what espresso royale (midwest chain) has recently shifted to. i think it's great although the cups do get a little soggy after awhile. this was when i had an iced drink though so i think it may have been the condensation rather than the drink itself. the drink was also in a hot drink cup (not the clear one) so maybe that made a difference. *shrug*
halfassfoodie.blogspot.com
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 8:44PM
Kathryn said...
Didn't Marissa write about something similar very recently? Still, a very cool idea. =)
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 9:26PM
melissa.agnew said...
I think that's a neat idea. Of course you could also just bring a travel mug! Paper cups are not compostable here unfortunately.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 11:58PM
mg said...
The problem, of course, is that hardly anything will biodegrade in a landfill, there's not oxygen. Throwing them in your compost pile, OTOH, might work.
Reply
10-23-2007 @ 8:08PM
Coffee & Conservation said...
I agree with mg -- these lids will be in landfills for decades. Even naked grass clippings take years to break down. Tater Lids in plastic garbage bags buried under tons of other stuff under clay will have a long underground life. And while the potatoes might be GMO free, potatoes made the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen list of crops that contained the highest pesticide residues (http://www.foodnews.org/walletguide.php)
Reply