awesome idea. I like this concept. Thats the way to go. A one way cup collection system is a nice concept. I have some questions about your concept:

• Does it require more man power to pick up all the collected cups from different places? I would suggest using a mini van that travels all over the city to collect the cups?

• How often will the cups be cleared? They have to be cleared frequently, if not it doesn't solve the purpose. And what if, people stuff other things into this it might cause damage to the cups. I'm not sure about this.

• Are people gonna trust that those cups are washed thoroughly and sterilized? It will be located next to a bin and people are gonna re-use it.

Hi SRIRAM 155,

I added a new chart. It shows the way the cups should be collected.

To avoid misuse a service provider should control and empty the collection points several times a week.

People gonna trust this system - it has prooved several times in stadiums and at big events. It has been choosen as the main providing concept for FIFA World Campionchip.

Love it. Great approach to the problem.

A couple of thoughts:

-How do we incent people to use this? Tie it to the Starbucks card for rewards? Barcode scanner like they have for soda cans?

-Is it more efficient to have a central service provider, or could you have 'zones' around the Starbucks stores that each store is responsible for, and install large dishwashers in the store?

-In small, dense urban areas you could do it by cargo bicycle. These have been popping up around NYC, and since the cups are PP they won't be that heavy. http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q236/dotcommodity/cars/nap.jpg

Great! Thanks for a quick update. It might work well in stadiums and big events because people only visit once to these place during events. But Starbucks is a place where people visit frequently (some people visit everyday too). I would suggest, if some environmental authority can frequently visit Starbucks to do inspection on their cleaning process and give them a rating, so people will be confident in the cleanliness.

Hi JBLEVINSON,

thanks for your suggestions!

you´re right, a cargo bicycle would be great. Now it´s an electric car, but as you mentioned it depends on the area.

To get people motivated to do this a scanner could be a solution.

Concerning service providers: yes, possibly Starbucks stores could have zones they are responsible for. Good idea - maybe necessary to show responsibility on their own!

love it

would be interesting to see some variations on pickup locations...

could also see some opportunities for outdoor media, so perhaps the cost of setting this up in the first place, could be subsidized.

Question regarding liquid- assuming we all don't finish our drinks before we currently throw our cups out, how will you going to deal with people who want to return their cup as they pass by this station, but have yet to finish their drink? Will we see runny 'coffee streams' around these stations? Consider developing a place to dump the liquid, ice, straws to help make this a clean and 'coffee stream' free experience.

ok, the theme limited double-effects, but such a ring-collector was part of my entry before: http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4573/

and i am glad that his PP-cups lost in market - to use PP one-way is pure energy-wastage and to wash 100-tausend of such cups a day, too. (we talk about fragile and hard to clean 200 ml cups in urban use and even not of liter-bottles, for cold softdrinks or water, with caps.)

Burlix - good point. Even when dumped out, there's usually still a few droplets clinging to the inside of the cup. Anything with milk in it will probably make its presence known in the summertime as well.

The design could leave a little space between the cups when stacked (have the rim of the cup rest on a tab instead of pushing all the way down on top of the cup below it), and periodically cycle some water over them to keep the mess down.

Nice Idea brain4two, we should combinate your and my idea to one. With my waste-map http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/4631 so we can find out, where to put the collecting-bin.

What do you think?

I agree with Burlix. You've created an open-view trash can with all the waste and spills on display. People may associate the cups with swarms of flies or overflowing puddles of used coffee and backwash. This may not solicit store owners or cities to allow this system to be utilized. It definitely does not sell your idea to the passing public. Rather than an artificial overflow reservoir can a natural one be integrated into the cup collector? Your idea is currently very high in maintenance demand.

For example, what if the cup collector system was fastened around a tree trunk instead of a parking meter bollard. There could be a small green-scape below the collection area that uses the cofee, milk, cream and sugar drippings as nutrients. People would then associate your cups with clean renewal.

I also like the idea of integrating statistics into the receptacle, cups collected counter, pounds of waste diverted from landfill... It gives each participant direct feedback from their contribution. The collection receptacles would be growing objects instead of static collectors. Over time collection sites with enormous numbers could become modern urban monuments.

"Over 1 billion served". I remember that sign today. It was for poor tasting hamburgers. Imagine if a similar number and sign was applicable to something more significant.

Hi cbabyak,

you´re right, I work on a solution with an integrated water cleaning system. It should become a simple, clean and easy-to-produce solution.

And yes, there could be a counter too.

Ho did i miss this? This is great! unique solution...

Hi texastee,

no, you didn´t miss it - it´s already in work...

The cleaning system in the station is a great improvement. Nice work! Would the ground eventually become saturated, though?

Thx jblevinson,

I thought of a natural filtering system (sand or grave) underneath the cast iron grating. When this is big enough, it shouldn´t be a problem.

Interesting idea. I especially like your cleaning device.

very nice

Interesting...

Keeping the area clean is my biggest worry. Then vandalism. Look at what people did to public phones. It's a cool concept though. It helps solve one of the biggest issues -- which is creating an alternative deposit location for the cup besides the trash can. A little water spirter on top to rinse the cup before depositing would be cool but then you'd need a drain I suppose and were back to wasting water too. The deposit center you designed looks cool. It's probably not feasible, but considering how many fire hydrants are in cities, there's a water source at each one. Of course those hydrants need full access by fire fighters but it was a thought.

What does this feel like and look like in the store? Can that be supported or is it just too complicated?

I have reviewed & voted for you idea. Our retries are a step forward towards a greener planet with less waste. Please have a look at my idea and I greatly appreciate your opinion http://www.jovoto.com/contests/drink-sustainably/ideas/5237

Hi rjacoby, I think it´s possible to install this in stores too. Maybe this could be the first step - but to get a complete net of deposit centers they should be visible all over the city.

the deposit tubes are simple and nice,... the design form is so self-explanatory, I will be have fun placing the cups in there. Very nice work!

Hi omaroyoun, hi talkdesign, hi Robhoski,

thanks for your comments. I hope people like these stations. If so, the area will remain clean and vandalism won´t be such a serious problem. The acceptance increases with a cool design and the integration into the urban context.

What about the lids? For example I never finish the coffee, can I throw it like that? all together?