Tim in the Streets

Chris Erb: 27th Jul 2006 - 19:33 GMT

Every Canadian knows this sight well! Tim Horton cups are everywhere! I remember when I was a kid, I was walking downtown from School (in Sussex, not Fredericton) and along the way I counted the Tim's cups. I think I counted a total of 32 in 15 minutes. Just gross.

How did you find out about the site? It seems strange that two people from Fredericton, being such a small city, would both stumble upon this site. I hope you keep posting and you should put "Fredericton, NB" in the City name when you enter a post. Maybe someday we can beat NYC off the top cities haha.

Marlo: 27th Jul 2006 - 19:47 GMT

Yes, I realized I had forgotten to label it "Fredericton, NB" after the fact and couldn't find a way to edit...
I found the site while searching for something related to Fredericton, oddly enough.
32 is incredible, and gross indeed (in both sense of the word!) I'm not Canadian so it was new but soon common sight for me.
New Brunswick is the 'picture province' I hear, so move over NY!

Marlo: 27th Jul 2006 - 20:22 GMT

(Actually, I really want to go to NYC and have never been...)

jack: 28th Jul 2006 - 02:08 GMT

c'mon down. nyc is where its happening, really cool. as the song goes,,,uptown, downtown, all around the town, london bridge is falling down, boys and girls together, me and mamie o'rourke, we trip the light fantastic, on the sidewalks of new york. sorry, i forgot sone of the words. does anyone know what words go in before london bridge?

zagg: 28th Jul 2006 - 02:13 GMT

Out by where my parents live 'out in the country' (and in Ontario, not NB) there wasn't really a trash problem on the roads and then Brights Grove got a Tim Hortons and BOOM now you can always find a discarded bag or cup - how lovely.

Chris Erb: 28th Jul 2006 - 02:36 GMT

What were you searching for that brought you to Citynoise? It's really neat to see someone else from Fredericton posting here. i'm excited. it's too bad I'm leaving soon.

New Brunswick has long ago been downgraded from "Picture Province" to the "Drive Through Province" meaning everyone comes through NB to either get to PEI or Nova Scotia. The most that tourists contribute to our economy generally is a buying a tank of gas and a bag of chips at a highway Irving.

george: 28th Jul 2006 - 03:18 GMT

i had a cup of tim horton's coffee the last time i was in NB

Marlo: 28th Jul 2006 - 14:46 GMT

Hm yes, Zagg, I think Tim Hortons consumption is the source of many problems, operating covertly of course.
I was searching for the location of the hair college around here... I need a trim and heard they were reasonably priced. But the URL to this site seemed much more interesting.

Chris Erb: 28th Jul 2006 - 14:56 GMT

I just got a haircut there last week. It's a good place to go. I only paid 9 dollars for a good haircut and a shampoo.

EvilGentleman: 28th Jul 2006 - 15:04 GMT

Firstly, I see someone has already "Rrrrrrolled up the rrrrrrrim" on the pictured cup.

Secondly, I must admit I miss New Brunswick. I have not seen it since 1989, and have not lived there since 1980. Even if the people blasting through on Highway 2 do not realize it, the picture-perfect beauty is still there, especially some of the rugged coastal features. Of course, Highway 2 never touches the coast, so the person passing through to Nova Scotia often has no clue what they are missing.

Finally, I have to say a few words in defence of Wendy's (The owner of Tim Horton's). Just because a Tim Hortons opens up is no reason for previously tidy people to start tossing trash around like pigs. Obviously, the people were already pigs before the local Tim Horton's franchise opened up, and the new Timmie's just gave them a lot more stuff to toss around. If you know how to use the trash, this should not happen. Chris, Marlo, zagg - If the sight of Tim Horton's cups is a common Canadian experience, then the point to be understood is that Canadians are slobs. We can all help this problem by making people feel guilty when they toss stuff on the roadside. Drive past and yell "slob!" or just look at them and shake your head in a way that they can understand that you consider them to be pathetic due to their slob habits. Eventually, the slobs will tire of the criticism and just start using the trash, or even better, the recycling bins. Tim Horton's coffee cups are recyclable, are they not? I actually have no clue, since I loathe coffee, and therefore seldom handle coffee cups. But whenever you see trash around from Tim Horton's of McDonald's (the major producer of roadside trash near my home, although Timmie's is closer), just remember, the restaurants provide trash bins, so they should not be held responsible for losers who were never taught to respect the Earth in the first place.

Chris Erb: 28th Jul 2006 - 15:56 GMT

I agree, the vast majority of us are slobs. I don't understand it, it's not hard to hold onto a cup for a few minutes until you get to a garbage can, or, if you're in a car, put the empty cup in your cupholder until you get somewhere with a garbage can. I see garbage around all the time and often pick it up and take it with me to throw it away. I don't understand what goes through people's heads to justify making a mess of their surroundings.

Paper coffee cups arn't recyclable, at least not in NB. I hate coffee as well but I work at a cafe and I've called the solid waste commission numerous times to see if our cups are recycable. Apparently there's a coating that keeps them from being recycled.

EvilGentleman: 28th Jul 2006 - 16:12 GMT

Hmmm, I suspect that the cups could become recyclable if they were processed in a way that heated them up to melt off the wax coating first. There may be a new industry here, just waiting to be born. Any takers? There is definitely enough material to justify the initial expenditure. But then again, is it wax? Whatever it is has to be able to resist melting at 100C/212F (the boiling point of water, which coffee can sometimes be served at). If it turns out that the paper cups cannot be rendered recyclable, then maybe someone should get rich by developing a coffee cup that is cheap, usable and recyclable.

Duh! Two-part coffee cups! The portion holding the beverage could be a standard recyclable plastic cup. The portion you actually hold is a paper cradle with fold-out handles that can fold down again to fit in a cup-holder. Serve with handles folded down, if the customer wants handles, let him fiddle with it on his own time, therefore maintaining current employee efficiency rates so the corporate masters of coffee shops cannot bitch about greatly incresed costs in labour.

I always toss my garbage either in the map pocket on my car door, or if it is too big, I toss it behind the driver's seat till I eventually pass an appropriate disposal location, either a trash can or a suitable recycling bin. When walking, I carry my trash to the nearest can, and I always try to make mental notes of recycling bins in my surroundings.

Chris Erb: 28th Jul 2006 - 16:44 GMT

The ultimate solution would be for everyone to carry a reuable coffee mug with a cover on it. There would be no litter, garbage or complicated recycling processes. It would also save a lot of money as stores wouldn't have to pay for paper cups (paper cups are more expensive than the coffee that fills them) and the savings could be pased on to the customer.

Peter: 28th Jul 2006 - 16:58 GMT

some of the local coffeehouses around here give, like, a 10-cent discount if you bring in your own mug/cup, so i guess that model works- too bad it doesnt seem like any major chains (the real offenders here) have taken to the idea.

also: when i was in high school, our school's "ecology club" sold reusable plastic coffee mugs with their logo on them. when i was back visiting several years later, i saw a few faculty members still using them. so i suppose alot of people like the resuable idea.

Marlo: 29th Jul 2006 - 02:32 GMT

There's a fair trade cafe on the St Thomas campus (a nice alternative to the otherwise almost monopolistic Tim's) which gives a discount if you bring in your own coffee/tea mug. Fair Trade AND pro-environment. Better alternatives exist, but you're right, Peter, the larger chains don't seem to cater to these. It's cheaper in the immediate to be disposable.
This makes society disposable. I wonder how long this way of life will last...

aer suzuki: 29th Jul 2006 - 20:44 GMT

"the unpleasant but apparently popular coffee"...we have that here too, only we call it "starbucks". welcome to citynoise.

Marlo: 29th Jul 2006 - 21:08 GMT

I remember when Starbucks wasn't so bad.... but always expensive. At least they have fair trade coffee available and are trying to integrate better recycling procedures. And I admit, I still like their espresso.
Where are you/where are you from, aer suzuki?

Chris Erb: 29th Jul 2006 - 21:34 GMT

I think I've probably drank a total of 3 cups of coffee in my life. Never at Tims.

Cameo: 12th Sep 2006 - 21:52 GMT

it may not be great coffee, but for the price when compared to other coffee joints around town, Timmies is by far the cheapest.

Plus, it has less snob-factor than Starbucks.

zagg: 12th Sep 2006 - 22:10 GMT

i either drink my fancy flavoured instant coffee or i go to the nice indie coffee shop 2 blocks away.

Nibs: 21st Sep 2006 - 21:43 GMT

It is not Tim Hortons making the mess it is the lazy customer that cannot be bothered to put the cup or garbage in its right place, that being a garbage can. Pretty sad when you live in a town or city that just wants to blame the business for the mess when it squarely the customers lack of judgement. Maybe we sould have bylaw enforcemant officers or the police write out a ticket for littering everytime someone wants to be lazy about it, not like that is going to happen.
Plus if it bugs you so much, pick it up yourself, or are you all too cool for that?

Cocosins: 22nd Oct 2006 - 21:16 GMT

Anyway, Is people did put the cups in the garbage there would still be a lot of garbage in the landfill sites! So if Tims made the cups recyclable there won't be as much of garbage or more landfill sites!

zagg: 22nd Oct 2006 - 22:05 GMT

Nibs: Sorry I don't keep protective gloves in my bag when I'm walking about town, and I'm not about to get my hands dirty with whatever has gotten on the trash since the original slob dropped it.

So yeah, I guess I am too cool for that.

ENVIRO-mental shoes: 1st Nov 2006 - 14:53 GMT

Our company has just designed a shoe that we help solve this problem. This Canadian based company "ENVIRO-mental shoes" are releasing a entry line of shoes made from used disposable coffee cups and other recycled material. These shoes will soon be in production. If you would like to see a pair before everyone else please contact 100074936@georgianc.on.ca.

ANDRE PEPIN- President
ENVIRON-mental shoes

Cocosins: 20th Nov 2006 - 21:29 GMT

Wow! Its really amazing that people can use there ideas to help the Earth!

HfxDave: 27th Nov 2006 - 15:45 GMT

Based purely on taste:
Starbucks = Delicious, Well rounded, and full-bodied
Tim's = Crack, A feeling of smoking a pack of cigs after a long night of drinking.

That'll get some of your knickers all in a bunch I'm sure but it's true. ;) Love ya's!

TiffT: 17th Sep 2007 - 17:25 GMT

Ha Ha! Oh so true...if you hear some of the local myths about Tim's you'll hear everything from tobacco in the paper lining of the cup to vanilla in the grounds to bolster addiction. I currently live in Freddy, and Tim's cups must be the # 1 piece of litter. While I do blame the morons that litter, I also partly condemn the city for the absolute lack of garbage cans! There is a chance people would use garbage cans if there were a little more of them around.