On September 9, Starbucks, a global coffee chain, announced that all stores around the world would eliminate disposable plastic straws in the next two years. At present, the global plastic waste is very serious. This measure can reduce the waste, which is a commendable activity.
At present, cold drinks account for more than 50% of Starbucks' beverage sales, which makes more than 28000 Starbucks stores use more than 1 billion plastic straws every year. The straw made of recyclable materials has been put into use in 8000 Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada, and will gradually expand to stores around the world in the future.
Starbucks said it has designed, developed and manufactured a cup lid without straw, which will become the standard cup lid for iced coffee, tea and espresso drinks in the future. In addition, Starbucks will provide cold drinks with environmentally friendly straw made of alternative materials to meet the preferences and needs of some customers.
At present, more than 8000 Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada have begun to use the cup cover. In Asian countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the caps will be used for nitrogen drinks first.
However, the existing round cap of star bingle will be preserved, but the straw will be made of paper or compostable plastic. Most other Starbucks cold drinks that need straw will also use recyclable materials to make straw.
Before Starbucks announced the elimination of plastic straw, its Seattle headquarters had banned the use of disposable straw and tableware in all restaurants since July 1. Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, said:
This is an important milestone in achieving our global vision for sustainable coffee, serving our customers in a more sustainable way.
All along, plastic straws are standard for all kinds of drinks, but in recent years, they are becoming more and more unpopular. According to statistics, 500 million plastic straws are consumed every day in the United States alone.
Eco cycle, a non-profit environmental protection organization, said that although many plastic straws are made of recyclable polypropylene, in fact, most of the recyclers refuse to recycle. Eventually, many of these plastic straws will flow into the ocean, causing marine plastic pollution.