I just recently learned about PLAs on The Green Guide's website (see article here). Scott and I are pretty militant about bringing our travel mugs with us whenever we get coffee/tea/fraps/etc, but sometimes we forget. When we forget our mugs, it pains us to use one of their disposable cups. Regardless, it *always* pains me to see the HUGE quantity of conventional plastic cups piling up in the trash.
Granted, the the Greenware cups (made by NatureWorks discussed in the article are currently only good for cool/cold beverages, but hey... its a step in the right direction and they're working on making cups for hot beverages.
If you have a fav place you like getting something to drink on the go, perhaps you can recommend that they start using disposable cups made out of PLAs or some other more environmentally friendly material
Holly
________________________________________
From: Customer Relations [mailto:info@starbucks.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 3:17 PM
To: Holly Korzilius
Subject: Starbucks Coffee Company
Dear Ms. Korzilius,
Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company with your questions regarding our recycling efforts. We appreciate your feedback about the use of non-petroleum based cups in our stores.
Starbucks is committed to protecting and improving the environment, and is continually pursuing opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle our waste products where commercial facilities exist. Most of our retail store recycling is conducted "behind the scenes" in the back room (boxes, milk jugs, etc.). If you are not certain that recycling is taking place in a store, please ask a store manager; he/she can explain what we are doing, what is recyclable in the local area, and what the landlord will allow for waste disposal. One of our challenges is that some parts of the country can process more recyclable materials than others. We are working with a recycling subcontractor to locate local recycling facilities to process materials generated from each store.
In addition to our retail stores, recycling programs exist in our other facilities, including Starbucks Support Center, our global headquarters in Seattle, and our roasting plants in Kent, Washington; York, Pennsylvania; and Carson Valley, Nevada. Additionally, we consider recylability, reusability and recycled content in our paper and packaging purchases to reduce our impact on the environment. Last year, Starbucks paper products contained 26% post consumer recycled content. We have targeted 30% post-consumer content for all future paper purchases.
On the waste reduction side, we are focused on encouraging reuse of coffee grounds by packaging them and giving them to customers to use as a soil amendment in their gardens. We also offer customers a 10? discount each time they use their commuter mug to enjoy their Starbucks beverage. Last year, our customers used their own mugs 13.5 million times, which prevented 586,800 pounds of paper waste from reaching landfills. Reusing coffee grounds and the commuter mug discount complement our recycling efforts because they help to minimize the amount of waste that is produced in each store.
Please know that we appreciate your comments and that we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously. Your concerns will be forwarded to our utility specialist, who manages in-store recycling for North America. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact us at info@starbucks.com or call 1-800-235-2883 to speak directly with a customer relations representative.
Thank you again for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.
Sincerely,
Kyle P.
Customer Relations Representative
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