Starbucks Holds Summit on Recyclability of Cups
In response to a commitment by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz last year that Starbucks’ entire stock of coffee cups will be recyclable by 2012, the company held a summit in Seattle recently to discuss the viability of cup recycling.
In addition to Schultz and other Starbucks employees, 30 representatives ranging from cup manufacturers to paper recyclers attended. Some of the research presented showed that many of the cups are already recyclable to recover paper pulp. In fact, a coffee cup can be converted into a pizza box in just three days.
Starbucks' goal is to produce a 100-percent recyclable cup by 2012. Photo: Scottfish.com
Starbucks is looking to implement a pilot program in Manhattan in which specialized bins will be placed to collect cups and paper bags, which will then be sent to Staten Island’s Pratt Industries for recycling. The cups are already eligible for paper recycling programs in Seattle, where Starbucks is headquartered.
The key to recyclability of paper cups is their material, as some (such as Starbucks’) are made of old corrugated cardboard (OCC), and others are mixed paper.
Mixed paper is a lower grade of paper that has less value when recycled. Although many of these cups are lined with wax for temperature control, this can be removed prior to recycling.
Panelists discussed the possibility of better labeling for these cups in regards to recyclability, with one suggesting that compostable cups be labeled with a brown stripe. North America is responsible for 60 percent of the 220 billion paper cups used globally each year.
In other Starbucks packaging news, the company switched to polypropylene (PP, aka #5 plastic) plastic cups for its iced drinks, where it previously used polyethylene terephthalate (PETE, aka #1 plastic). PP is a lighter resin of plastic, and although more recycling programs accept PETE, it is sometimes only accepted in bottle form.
Both resins can be recycled, with recycled products including plastic lumber (PETE) and hangers (PP).
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The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
Joe
posted on May 21st, 2009 at 8:01 am
Yet another reason why Starbucks will continue to be my coffee-chain of choice.
You see that, Dunkin Donuts? Lose the styrofoam already! Or, does America run on plastic, too?
Cheryl Anderson
posted on July 6th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
It is cool Starbucks is using paper for their cups. I wish their were ways to recycle plastic cups… It there is, I don’t know… I do repurpose…Starbucks cups, and other cups are good during gardening season for planting starts for the season. I just love recycling and want to share……:) Thank you for this site!
Lindsey
posted on January 27th, 2010 at 11:08 am
I love user-end responsibility. Props to starbucks. Fortunately new pmarkets and packagin companies are making the recyclability of these items more wide-spread. Starbucks could recycle all their plastics and their cups. Poly-coated white paper cups are becoming more recyclable as are their plastic #1/#5 cups- once again the problem being markets for recycling such materials. Our program is hoping to expand to take poly-coated cups and any poly-coated white fiber products at the curbside as well as similar to-go plastic cups,lids and straws.
Graham
posted on March 10th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
I worked at Starbucks all through college, and they devote a great deal of energy to letting the world know that they recycle and they are green, but the truth is none of the stores I worked at in Texas recycled a single thing. In fact, our manager requested that we get a recycling can next to our trash can and got pricing from a local vendor. It was going to cost practically nothing and corporate shot it down anyway. I guess they just prefer everything go to the landfill.