Congress Buys GOP's Foam Cups From Ex-Koch Exec

The GOP's decision to bring back Styrofoam cups to a Capitol cafeteria has been a real boon for an old pal of the seemingly ever-present Koch brothers. The owner of WinCup, the company supplying the Styrofoam cups, is a former Koch Industries exec, the Huffington Post reports. But everybody swears it's a coincidence: The cafeteria management company, not GOP leaders, chose the supplier.

House Republicans claim that the program initiated by Nancy Pelosi, which installed compostable cups in the cafeteria, cost the House $320,000 per year in materials, $60,000 in hauling, and at least $90,000 in labor. But Pelosi counters that ending the program will result in 535 more tons of landfill waste. The spokesperson for the House Administration Committee says the committee is looking into other cost-effective ways to be green. Click for more. (More green products stories.)