So we have all heard about plastic straws, but in my opinion we are missing a major part of the picture. Plastic straws only create maybe a quarter of waste created when people get drinks to go. People tend to miss the fact that when they are throwing away straws they tend to also be throwing away the plastic cups and containers, or even the lids they chose to replace the plastic straws.
Even when Starbucks made the effort and switched to using the “sippy-cup lids” in place of straws, they increased their plastic use, upsetting many environmentalists who were hoping for a big win in the way of recyclables. Dianna Cohen, CEO of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a California-based environmental group succinctly captured the feelings of the eco-industry, stating “these lids are going to be made of even more plastic than the straws” and are going to have just as large of an impact on the environment.
At a beach cleanup in 2017, plastic lids came in as number nine of the most picked-up recyclables on the beach, two places below plastic straws, at number seven. Starbucks and other notable companies switching to sippy-cup lids and other options instead of straws are simply redistributing the types of recyclable materials that are found washed up on beached and strewn throughout nature, instead of actually making a difference with more biodegradable materials.
However, the switch to plastic lids instead of plastic straws included a change in the make-up of the plastic. The lids are now made of polypropylene, a commonly used recyclable plastic that can easily be picked up by recycling infrastructure. Even so, only 9% of the world’s plastic is recycled whether it be because of contamination with other materials or simple human laziness.
Both Starbucks and McDonald’s are working together to develop a 100% recyclable/compostable cup as a part of the NextGen Cup Challenge, committing millions of dollars to find a solution to the billions of pounds of waste created by plastic cups each year.
Other ways people can help combat this plastic buildup from disposable fast-food cups is to bring reusable cups of their own. What stands out to me most is the many coffee companies, whether chains
like Starbucks or my own local coffee shops, are promoting reusable tumblers and mugs and encouraging people to bring and reuse them by giving people a discount whether it be by 10 cents or 25%.
What I have done to support this movement is buy my friends reusable cups (friends who frequent coffee shops often and will definitely use the tumblers) and when we all go out to get coffee, we remind each other to bring the cups, a small act that only makes a small dent in the plastic consumed but nevertheless an act that makes us feel connected to each other and the earth.