Americans are obsessed with coffee. It is estimated that as a country, we consume 146 billion cups a year, making us the world’s largest consumer of java. And although locally owned coffee shops get a lot of love, the big coffee chains and their drive thrus are clearly here to stay. This on-the-go coffee culture may be great for those who grab a coffee on their way to work, but it’s creating a lot of waste.
As the world’s largest coffeehouse company, Starbucks is a major contributer to the billions of disposable coffee cups that enter landfills every year. But there is some relief on the horizon. On Tuesday Starbucks announced that by 2015 all of their cups will be either reusable or recyclable. The problem with the current cups is the inside plastic coating; while it prevents your coffee from leaking out of the cup, it also deters recycling plants (who lack the necessary infrastructure) from accepting the cups (although Starbucks recently proved that the current paper cups are capable of being recycled).
It’s great seeing Starbucks trying to reduce their waste, but let’s hope that the corporation also: implements a campaign to inform their customers about recycling the cups (if customers continue to throw the cups in the trash then there’s no benefit), provides recycling bins in their stores, and encourages customers to utilize reusable travel mugs (Starbucks and many other coffee shops offer a discount if you bring your own mug). It’s going to be a lot of work for the coffee giant, because to actually reduce waste you can’t just change the product, you also have to change customer behaviors. But if Starbucks does a good enough job, then perhaps it can also change the behavior of other large coffee chains, causing them to make more environmentally conscious cup choices in their own stores (I’m looking at you Dunkin’ Donuts and your styrofoam cups).
Story via The New York Times
Image via bankbryan
