Starbucks -- Inching Closer To 100% Recyclable Paper Cups

We are a nation deeply addicted to our Starbucks beverages served in disposable paper cups.

Wait a minute -- isn't our beloved java pedaler supposed to be on the pulse of more eco-friendly efforts?

They have largely dominated our global landscape and have raked in such hefty profits that you'd think they would channel some of that moohlah toward major environmental advances like compostable coffee bags or a mandatory reusable mug policy. 

I realize that they've trailblazed the coffee grinds-for-gardeners effort, and now at least in seven of their New York stores, they are launching a coffee cup recycling program that will incorporate the familiar white and green java recepticles into the same waste stream as their used corrugated cardboard.

What's taken them so long? While their cups are made of some recycled content, what throws a curve in the recycling plan is that they must be lined with a thin polyethylene plastic coating that prevents liquid leakage, and this makes recycling them very challenging since the material can contaminate paper pulp.

In spite of this, they intend to carry entirely recyclable coffee cups by 2012, which is a good thing because they are responsible for sending three billion Starbucks coffee cups into our waste stream each year.

With their pilot program, cups from their seven New York stores will be collected in special paper bin liners along with their corregated waste cardboard and processed by Pratt Industries, which will determine if the pulped material is as usable as traditional recycled material.

Who here thinks that this is a great effort?

What about ditching paper cups altogether and instilling a reusable mug policy?

What would be the pros and the cons?