We are constantly having problems with people throwing trash into the recycling bins where I work.
This contaminates the whole container, so it all just gets tipped back into the trash bin, rather than being recycled.
It's hard to tell what will turn out to be more environmentally sound. I read a report a couple of years ago that claimed that I'd have to use the same ceramic mug 1000 times to break even with disposable paper. Here's a similar report:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008...rbonfootprints
Of course, I drink a lot of tea, so it's not hard to make that goal within a year.
