One million. That’s the number of discarded paper coffee cups people have picked up from Vancouver streets over a dozen years. The trash is collected during an annual event called the Coffee Cup Revolution. Participants get 10 cents for each cup they collect.

A reason to recycle

Vancouver streets are much cleaner after this event. But here’s the event’s real message. Coffee drinkers should pay a refundable deposit on coffee cups, like the deposit on some cans and bottles.