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Saturday, June 3, 2023 | 
Business U.S. & World

Out with plastic: Starbucks tests a returnable cup program

In an attempt to reduce waste by 50% by 2030, Starbucks is rolling out a returnable cup program in Europe

By Ashley Nash
SHARE Out with plastic: Starbucks tests a returnable cup program
A Starbucks in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

Starbucks in Langhorne, Pa., is pictured on Monday, March 14, 2022.

Associated Press

By 2025, Starbucks wants customers to have the option to either bring their own reusable cup or borrow one from their local store in an attempt to reduce waste.

  • Customers can borrow a cup for $1 and get their money back upon returning the mug, according to CNN.

Returnable cups: On Feb. 21, Starbucks launched reusable cup programs throughout stores in the U.K. The company wanted to create a sustainable plan that was easy enough for busy residents of London to integrate into their lives.

  • The plan will continue to roll out in other European cities, and eventually in Africa and the Middle East.
  • “Without needing to remember to bring their own cup, customers can ask for their beverage to be served in a reusable cup when ordering at the till. Simply put down a £1 deposit when ordering, which will be fully refunded when the cup is returned,” said the Starbucks website.
  • The use of a reusable cup will also give customers rewards points that they can use toward free drinks.
  • Starbucks assured that with this new plan, local baristas won’t have to deal with the burden of cleaning all of the extra cups. Starbucks reported that it will outsource the cups to professional cleaning companies to be sanitized and returned to stores for reuse.

Can I still use a plastic cup? The plan isn’t to completely phase out plastic cups. Starbucks just wants to make reusable cups more available for customers.

  • A spokesperson for Starbucks told CNN that the company is also planning to test a disposable cup fee.

“Greener Cup” mission: Starbucks has been testing new ways to create a more sustainable user experience since the 1980s.

  • This plan is a part of the company’s “Greener Cup” timeline, where the company states its plans to reduce waste by 50% by 2030.
  • Previously, Starbucks has made other developments to reduce waste and promote more sustainable products.
  • In 2020 the company stocked all stores in the U.S. and Canada with strawless lids. In Germany, customers are charged a 5 cent paper cup fee in an effort to encourage use of reusable cups.