"T.O. STEAMING OVER COFFEE CUP DEBATE"

I'll never look at my usual large Timmy's triple-triple the same way again. City Hall has Torontonians boiling (yet again) over their decision to use $50,000 of tax-payer money on a 40-member task force, five subcommittees and consultants to find a solution on what to do with the 350 million take out coffee cups that are disposed of each year.

The popularity of coffee houses (not to mention the convenience of drive-thru's) the last decade have created a storm surge, of you guessed it, coffee cups clogging the system. The reports ranging anywhere from consumer behaviour and recycling materials to health/safety issues with consumers using their own cups is due in April but they've extended the deadline to June. However, they were hired in December.

Personally, I'm not at all surprised that the city is wasting valuable time, energy and money on this when they should be concentrating on existing problems like adequate housing, road repairs, job losses and homelessness (and I'm just getting started). The mere fact that we're in recession should have Mayor Miller and his cronies ashamed of themselves. Sadly, possible solutions have been staring at them right in the face.

I've compiled a few of my own here. Aside from separating the plastic lids (where the real issue comes from) to the paper cup is clearly obvious. Then there's the good ol' travel mug. People should take a page from American Express slogan here and 'don't leave home without it.' Another possible solution could be by creating a paper lid. Hey, if they can make egg cartons completely out of paper (and they've been successful thus far) they can make lid that way too. Lastly, they should make all coffee houses accountable for their distribution of these 'environmentally unfriendly caffeine critters' they seem so quick to hand out. After all they were the ones that started this mess anyway. Who knows what 'solutions' they'll come up with.

Until then I'll continue to enjoy every last drop of my Timmy's coffee and begin to use the travel mug on May 2. Why May 2? That's the day after their 'RRRoll Up The Rim To Win' contest ends.