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It's true - we consume a lot of junk: plastic grocery bags, styrofoam take-out food containers, plastic water bottles, coffee cups made of both paper and plastic. All items that are entrenched in the consumer industry and many that are made of materials that cannot be recycled. With society becoming evermore 'green', the pressure is on to find a viable alternative to this kind of packaging.

Councillors at City Hall have helped apply this pressure through a plan to deal with the packaging waste that comes from many Toronto businesses. The plan, discussed at last week's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting, called for discounts for customers who brought their own reusable bags and mugs, and it pushed for an alternative to the paper-plastic coffee cup combination.

The ensuing debate surrounding the latter issue was reason enough for Ward 6 (Etobicoke - Lakeshore) Councillor Mark Grimes to move an amendment to ask for more time to discuss the dilemma.

The amendment was approved and the committee has another six months to think it over.

"At the end of the day we can get back to the table, sit down and take another run at this," Grimes said. "I don't think we have it right yet."

Industry representatives, including those from Tim Hortons Canada, aren't fans of the city's idea to eventually ban plastic lids on paper coffee cups, mostly because there isn't currently a paper lid commercially available to these restaurant chains to switch to.

This, of course, won't always be the case and anyone shouting foul over the ban's delay should exercise some patience.

If this latest wave of environmentalism has contributed anything to our society besides a more tempered approach to managing resources, it's an money-making opportunity for innovative business entrepreneurs.

The need for environmentally-friendly products is greater now than it ever has been before. And this demand reaches across all industries, from the auto sector to the food industry. Those quick and smart enough to fill that demand will be the ones who keep afloat in the tumultuous rise and fall of the economy.

So although the solution to the great recyclable coffee cup lid challenge eluded city councillors and industry representatives last week, all is not lost. Saving the environment is a noble cause, but money is - fortunately or unfortunately - the greatest motivator.

What can't be done today, will no doubt be patented and capitalized upon tomorrow. Just you wait and see.