SUPER® Interview with Trish Pinnella,
Co-founder of Waste Free Santa Cruz
Trish Pinnella is a volunteer with SUPER certification as well as a board member of Women in Cleantech & Sustainability. She’s a force of nature because, in addition to those two efforts, she cofounded Waste Free Santa Cruz and consults with other startups and nonprofits. Waste Free Santa Cruz recently launched Just Bring It, a 3-month BYO coffee cup campaign to reduce plastic-lined paper cup waste. 37 local coffee establishments agreed to provide a discount for customers bringing their own cups. This effort began mid – January so now, two months in, we are eager to check in with Trish to hear about the program’s successes and what is next and share with our readers.
Tell us about your work with Waste Free Santa Cruz and Just Bring It. How did your project take shape and what lessons can you share for others looking to establish similar efforts?
Waste Free Santa Cruz was co-created after a meeting with two members, Claire Weber and Amerila Eichel of the Beyond Plastics grassroots building initiative. At the time, I was also involved in a Master Recycler Volunteer Program with the city of Santa Cruz. The simultaneous programs helped shape Waste Free Santa Cruz into an effort well-suited for our county’s needs and requiring a ‘simple’ behavior modification which everyone is capable of and can feel good about.
Despite the need and relative ‘simplicity, it was a heavier lift than we expected. Local coffeehouse businesses are in survival mode and adding one more thing to their proverbial ‘plate’ was at times challenging. We did not give up, and over time, we added like-minded people to join us, and eventually, we had buy-in from 37 coffee shops. Sometimes, it takes reminding that sustainability work is important and comes with personal benefits.
As our launch on January 18, 2025, neared, we pushed the campaign harder, and we’ve added more locations. Small local markets selling coffee now want to participate and support waste reduction. Limiting the use of items that, by their design, are trash, aka single-use coffee cups, is an obvious choice. One of the interesting lessons has been the chance to educate customers who don’t realize that “paper cups” are actually plastic lined, in addition to the plastic lid. We found that about 80% of people think they are lined with wax. My co-founder, Claire, created a captivating display by soaking single-use cups in hot water. Her display was to show how microplastics and toxins leach into your coffee within 15 minutes and that with 24 hours of soaking the plastic lining detaches from the cup and is visible. Ironically, Santa Cruz has an ordinance requiring compostable cups; however, there is no industrial composting facility in the community, so they’re not composted. This was another ‘educational’ opportunity as many people don’t realize that there are different types of composting, which leads to contamination in both waste streams; industrial compostables contaminate backyard compostable collection.
You’ve estimated that 10,000+ single-use coffee cups go to the landfill daily in Santa Cruz. That is a lot of waste daily and an enormous amount annually. Can you share some of this program’s success in lessening this waste impact? Are there any surprising pitfalls of your efforts?
We did a lot of research to understand how many coffee cups go to our landfill. We got information from the city directly, and we also did extensive research with the coffee shops. What we found is staggering. So many coffee shops now have no in-house durable cups to drink from; everything is served in single-use cups –which is trash. During COVID-19, the amount of take-out container waste and packaging waste increased so much that Santa Cruz filled an entire “cell” in our local landfill. That cell should have taken 10 years to fill and filled in two years! One of our goals is to mitigate that damage to our community and create a new habit that will reduce coffee cup waste by 20% by the end of the three-month campaign. We are building connections with all the local government and business organizations to get the word out. We have partnered with Californians Against Waste, Pitch In Santa Cruz, Save Our Shores, Santa Cruz Climate Action Network and many other local organizations. They absolutely support this movement, encouraging the community to bring their own cups.
Tell us about your personal journey and how you got involved in single use plastic advocacy.
Early in my career, I worked for a German company and travelled there frequently. I observed their efficiencies and lack of waste. This experience planted a seed. As the usage of single-use plastics increasingly got out of control in the U.S., I told my daughter when she was five, “When you grow up, you need to solve the single-use plastic problem.” Although she majored in environmental studies and works in environmental justice (indirectly related to the single-use plastics problem), I realized I couldn’t pass the work off to the next generation. I got involved with Beyond Plastics, and I learned things that I just couldn’t ignore.
For example:
Only 4% on single-use plastics are recycled.
The toxins we are exposed to and microplastics are wreaking havoc on our bodies and our environment.
What tips do you have for individuals who wish to make a difference in their workplace toward Green and sustainable solutions, particularly around single-used plastics, and products?
Number One … Reducing Single-Use Plastics is possible!
• Encourage reuse by providing employees with reusable plates, cups, mugs, water bottles, and utensils.
• Centralized Recycling: Replace individual trash bins with centralized recycling stations to improve waste sorting and reduce contamination.
• Install refill water stations to replace bottled water.
• Organize initiatives like “Plastic-Free Lunch Days” or campaigns like the Plastic Challenge or Plastic Free July.
• Sustainable Packaging exists, USE IT! Cruz Foam makes a replacement for Styrofoam that is made from shrimp shells. ReadyCycle makes a replacement for plastic clam shells. Sway makes renewable seaweed resin and films to replace plastic. We can reduce single-use plastics!
Push for changes in your supply chains. Request that your suppliers use minimal or biodegradable packaging.
. Even small companies can form a sustainability team to brainstorm and implement eco-friendly practices.
What do you want to share with people about single-use plastics that keeps you motivated as an agent for change?
There is an urgent need to reduce plastic use. There are solutions available, and more are in the works. We can all make small changes that add up to big reductions. I am motivated to reduce environmental pollution. Millions of tons of plastic enter our oceans each year, harming wildlife and ecosystems. By 2050, if not sooner, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish if we don’t do something. I’m motivated to tell people the truth about microplastics. Plastics break down into toxic particles, polluting soil and waterways, and enter the food chain. I want people to know that plastics contain over 16,000 chemicals, and most of these chemicals are unregulated, and their health impacts range from endocrine disruption to cancer and developmental issues.
People need to understand the health threats for themselves and future generations. By combining individual actions with systemic changes, I want to inspire a shift toward a sustainable, plastic-free future. I want my legacy to be one of empowerment, where people recognize their ability to make a difference, take meaningful action, and collectively create a world where plastic waste no longer threatens our health, planet, or future generations’ well-being.
