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It thrills me that the plastic free trend is circulating the web and filling people’s conscience more and more. There’s nary a day that I am reminded by a fellow blogger or environmentalist about the effects of our daily lifestyle decisions. It seems to be that others are jumping onto the bandwagon too, as more people are following suit. Friends and family occasionally reach out to ask about our KeepCups, and a few have shared that they’ve been inspired to buy their own. So how excited was I when I first learned of Starbuck’s initiative to be more plastic free?
Starbuck’s drinkers have probably heard by now that Starbucks started deviating from the dreaded plastic straws in exchange for a straw-less lid. The lid allows you to drink your favorite cool, summery drinks with an adult lid that has an opening on the side. A little messier, maybe, a lot better for the environment. Or so we are led to believe.
Things to Consider
A more in-depth study on the plastic lids themselves revealed that there is something between 0.32 and 0.88 grams of increase in the amount of plastic in the newer lids when compared to the old lids and straws. In reality, then, more plastic is being created and introduced into the world. Since the plastic lids are brand new (It is cheaper to create plastic parts brand new than it is to create it from recycled plastic materials), they are technically contributing more plastic waste than if we stuck with the traditional straw and lid.
When Starbucks was questioned about the additional weight of the new lids, Starbucks acknowledged its truth. They did bring up a point, which was that the new lids were recyclable, whereas the old straws were not. Unfortunately, that leaves all responsibility to the consumer, who must have the drive to recycle responsibly. Changing the lid does not create a solution. We still need to push consumers to change their mindset about plastic. Awareness is key to the solution. Without that switch, what will end up happening is even more plastic being introduced to the environment.
The Good In All This
The good in all this is that ridding ourselves of plastic straws raises awareness. People who are used to getting drinks with straws will realize that we can do without. Additionally, they will slowly expect to have straws with their drinks less often. Lastly, people will have to think about the reasons behind the disappearances of straws, starting with Starbucks, but hopefully, the trend spread to other restaurants and fast food chains. And when we think about the reasons why, the hope is that we will start to merge into the “how”. How can we also move this forward in our own lives?
Ways You Can Help
There are many ways in which we can help the situation.
- Start a conversation with your Starbucks barista. Ask them about their thoughts on the situation. Make it known that you are aware of the difference between lids. Perhaps the customer feedback will have them switching to a new, better solution.
- Order your drink without the lid and the straw. With practice, you, too, will be capable of drinking a frappe from a cup or glass, without the spills.
- Carry your own re-usable, metal straw. These are the ones that I carry around in my purse.
- Carry your own cup. Our favorite one is the Espresso 12 0z. KeepCup, which can be found here. We have matching his and hers cups!
- Recycle the lid, if one ever ends up on your hands.
- Make coffee in the comfort of your home. We’ve got you covered with your cold-brew recipe and a Café de Olla recipe needs.
- Don’t assume that companies’ efforts in reducing waste reduces waste. Delve a bit deeper and see how it creates an impact.
- Spread the word by talking with your friends and family. Lead by example by nixing the plastic in your everyday. Get the conversation going.
Thanks for sharing, I love seeing everyone become more environmentally conscious like this. There’s so many little things we can do to help our planet. What are some of your other recycling tips?
Oh I agree. Together we can make such a great difference! My efforts are focused mostly on decreasing waste so that I hardly come across the need to recycle. 🙂 On the rare occasion, I look for the recycle symbol before throwing things in the trash. An ever growing list of things I’ve given up to be less wasteful can be found on this post! https://thedebtist.com/2018/06/25/the-ever-growing-list-of-things-i-have-given-up-in-the-name-of-creating-less-waste/
Love that they did this! So important
Wow, I’ve head of the new lids but didn’t know about the amount of plastic. I always bring my own cup to starbucks (hello $.10 savings!) but this is really good to know.
So glad you bring around a mug too! I do the same … WOOHOO savings 😉