Starbucks getting rid of disposable cups

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

yes- but that goes back to what I mean: if we routinely (I am not talking about a short term crisis) are unable to take more than five minutes out of our day, something is unbalanced. Our culture encourages us to set up our lives that way, and it is unhealthy. 

I agree with this. I think work culture is a big influence on this. Mark has always worked IT and since 1998, "work through lunch and not eat at all or try to wolf down a bite in the five minutes between meetings" has been the business expectation. Always. Still is. I think this mentality sifted into culture. When I was a kid, my parents took full lunch hours, and in school we had a full hour at lunch. The local school has a 10 minute eating time. The kids get 20 minutes outside afterward, but they are kicked out of the lunchroom after ten minutes, and they are draconian about it. Meanwhile my sister tells me in France, lunch is a revered part of the day, people take plenty of time to eat, children are served generous, healthy, chef quality meals at school, and there is encouragement to eat slow, enjoy the meal and time with friends, etc. 

Even when we had huge time crunches with our competitive rocket team, we took time out for generous meal breaks, and often if they were here in the evenings, I served pasta, salads, and fresh fruit, or a roast chicken with roasted veggies. We encouraged them to relax and talk about something other than the project. Other 4H leaders thought we were nuts. It is a HARD thing to go against in this go go go culture.

[Selkie]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

yes- but that goes back to what I mean: if we routinely (I am not talking about a short term crisis) are unable to take more than five minutes out of our day, something is unbalanced. Our culture encourages us to set up our lives that way, and it is unhealthy. 

On a related note, our culture also encourages soothing oneself by eating and drinking products that have adverse effects on health and wellbeing. 

Many people are stuck in a vicious cycle of feeling stressed -> consuming crap food and drink in an attempt to relieve stress -> experiencing poor physical and mental health as a result -> feeling even more stress.

[KungFuPanda]

Who else is old enough to remember gathering glass soda bottles and returning them for a deposit and reuse? I'm envisioning the system working the same way with reusable cups.

 

I realize the conversation has moved on a bit, but I just got here, 😁

[bookbard]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

Who else is old enough to remember gathering glass soda bottles and returning them for a deposit and reuse? I'm envisioning the system working the same way with reusable cups.

 

They've just reintroduced that in our state (in Australia). You can recycle them as usual, or you can take them to an automated deposit place and get money or you can donate the money to a charity. I'm sure you could do that with a barcoded cup, somehow? 

McDonalds has a point in the drivethrough where you can recycle your old cups (prob indoors too, haven't been indoors for ages!)

[Frances]

14 hours ago, Bootsie said:

I agree with I also have my college students do a calculation of how much money they spend in four years of college if they treat themselves to that inexpensive Starbucks drink every day for four years.  $5 per day for four years totals $7300!--even more if the $5 is put in an interest bearing account (I know interest rates have been negligible but I teach finance and they are not always negligible.)  

I think this is the part I find most difficult to understand when I regularly see the long line of cars snaking around one of the chain (not Starbucks) coffee huts here. All that money for a drink in the car? Surely it can’t be to save time if you are waiting that long in line? And it’s certainly not saving you money. Pre-pandemic I would get a chai latte from a local coffee shop maybe two or three times per year, usually with a friend or family member. Or I’ll treat my nieces to coffee drinks when I go to visit because it is a special treat for them. Depending on the weather we will enjoy them inside or take to go cups on a walk.

[katilac]

On 3/16/2022 at 5:49 AM, MEmama said:

It’s ridiculous that so many people tend to immediately revert to cries of indignation and “but it can’t happen here because reasons!” when in reality, the world over, and here too until very recently, it can and does occur just fine. Single use, disposable coffee cups are not a birthright, lol. I’m thrilled their days might finally be limited. 

Right. There will be some glitches along the way, as in any new process, but I seriously wonder what people think the alternative is (for conservation in general, not just cups). 

On 3/17/2022 at 2:00 PM, Catwoman said:

The sentence I bolded is the part that convinces me that this is primarily a financial decision for Starbucks. They will save a massive amount of money by forcing people to either bring their own cups or pay extra for a disposable cup. 

There will be added costs to implement the new system as well, but I'm fine with it either way. If a company comes up with a system that reduces waste significantly, then I am delighted for them to make money on it. 

On 3/17/2022 at 4:18 PM, regentrude said:

 Folks in countries that have *good* food don't seem to feel the need to scarf that down from Styrofoam boxes in moving vehicles.

I agree with a lot of what you say regarding eating/drinking on the go all the time, but it's a bit much to say that some countries have *good* food and others don't. America has plenty of good food and a wide variance of food cultures. People are not scarfing down fast food in a car because good food doesn't exist. 

On 3/18/2022 at 7:49 AM, regentrude said:

@Faith-manor Drinking fountains do not exist in Germany, neither in schools nor public places. 

Did you only drink at lunch? How long was the school day? I would definitely want my kids to have access to water than that for the typical American school day of about 7 hours plus bus time. 

On 3/18/2022 at 10:02 AM, Bootsie said:

I agree with this. And, I think it goes a bit further.  I often find that those little pleasures, that seemingly don't take much time or money, actually ADD to the stress and busyness.  When I am in a hurry and think I will save time ad go through a drive thru and pick something up, I am amazed at how long it really takes.  It is rare that it is only five minutes by the time I order, pull up pay, get my order, etc.  And I have to deal with yelling my order to a screen "a tall latte" and then I get back a muddled "two small caramel macchiatos"--no I repeat my order and then get mumbling and I have to ask "What?"  Then, I get, "Did you want to try our new banana slush?"  No.  Then another muddled response--oh that must have been a total amount I owe, but who knows what it was?  Then I pull up to the first window and they ask--Molly?  No, I am Betty.  Then they try to hand me change but drop it as I am stretching to reach outside the car window.  Then, I have to figure out how to place the food so that it doesn't spill in the car.  And, I have to make sure to get the trash out of the car.  And then there is the problem when they don't get the order correct (which is often).  And if this is done with kids in the car--just multiply the stress.   Taking five minutes out to sip a hot tea at my dining table, or drink my cup of coffee on my porch, is really less time and less stress. 

I also have my college students do a calculation of how much money they spend in four years of college if they treat themselves to that inexpensive Starbucks drink every day for four years.  $5 per day for four years totals $7300!--even more if the $5 is put in an interest bearing account (I know interest rates have been negligible but I teach finance and they are not always negligible.)  

I think we have to allow that such things are an added stress for some people, and a genuine pleasure for other people. Partially due to personality and such, and partially due to not everyone being subjected to such terrible service! 😂

It does surprise me that so many people get Starbucks (or whatever) every. single. day. Particularly the couples, when one of them leaves the house to get it in the morning and goes back home with it. That seems like a lot of effort, and, at that point, you could buy a really expensive espresso machines and come out ahead. I don't get it, but I think there's something about the ritual aspect of it that relaxes some people. I try to remind myself that a lot of people find my indulgences and hobbies goofy as heck. 

I love that you do that calculation with your students. You should have them write a wish list first, and then translate it into number of lattes, lol. 

[importswim]

On 3/18/2022 at 8:55 PM, KungFuPanda said:

Who else is old enough to remember gathering glass soda bottles and returning them for a deposit and reuse? I'm envisioning the system working the same way with reusable cups.

 

I realize the conversation has moved on a bit, but I just got here, 😁

They do this in Oregon, or at least I did when we lived there. You pay a surcharge on the bottles at the grocery store and when you return them to the machine outside you get your money back. We used to live rurally and had to take our own recycling to the recycle center back then also. It was actually quite a fun activity when the kids were younger.

[Bootsie]

The first Starbucks opened in Innsbruck, Austria this weekend.  It is located in one of the oldest buildings in town, in the beautiful pedestrian Old Town.  When I walked in, I saw table after table with trash sitting on it--disposable Starbucks cup after disposable Starbucks cup.  There was not a clean table in the place.  I just wanted to cry.

I had just been to a traditional Vienesse-style coffee house--real Espresso cups, coffee mugs, latte glasses, cafe au lait bowls, a rack of newspapers, with an air of elegance.  A waiter came and took our order, brought us our coffees, we sat and chatted, as soon as we were finished, he came and quietly cleared the table--for about half the price of a Starbucks coffee and waiting in line to order, getting a "to go" cup, and looking at trash all around me.  

[Sneezyone]

Gluhwein mugs/venders immediately come to mind. It was one of the best parts of Germany to DH and I. If they can sterilize and reuse those mugs at christkindlmarkts they can do the same for Starbucks customers.

[Ann.without.an.e]

I haven’t read all of these replies. 
I’ve thought on this a lot. I love the idea of it. I wish we lived in a world where this would work but I don’t think it will. I think it will be worse for the environment. If I frequented SB then I’d use the reusable cups for sure. Most people love Starbucks for the convenience. They aren’t going to do it. SB will go to a thicker more reusable plastic cup and a high percentage of people will throw those away. Best case scenario, it will average out to the same amount of plastic that is used now. The only chance it has is if it is a significant price difference to not exchange a cup. I don’t mean .50 or a dollar. 

[AmandaVT]

On 3/18/2022 at 9:55 PM, KungFuPanda said:

Who else is old enough to remember gathering glass soda bottles and returning them for a deposit and reuse? I'm envisioning the system working the same way with reusable cups.

 

I realize the conversation has moved on a bit, but I just got here, 😁

When I was a kid, we used to walk up and down the beach asking people for their empty soda bottles that we then brought up to the concession stand for $0.10 bottle deposit. People were usually happy to not have to walk the bottles back to the stand themselves and the kids were able to earn enough for a treat. 

Vermont has bottle/can deposits. Every time we buy any canned/bottled beverage, we pay a $.05 deposit that we can get back at bottle redemption places. We often see people lugging bags and bags of cans and bottles in to various redemption places to get deposits back. 

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, AmandaVT said:

Vermont has bottle/can deposits. Every time we buy any canned/bottled beverage, we pay a $.05 deposit that we can get back at bottle redemption places. We often see people lugging bags and bags of cans and bottles in to various redemption places to get deposits back. 

It's 10 cents in Oregon. A dog rescue I support hands out large plastic bags with a bar code that directs the refunds to them, so all our cans and bottles go in the bag and when it's full I drop it at the redemption place and they send the money to the rescue.

[Mom_to3]

6 hours ago, Bootsie said:

The first Starbucks opened in Innsbruck, Austria this weekend.  It is located in one of the oldest buildings in town, in the beautiful pedestrian Old Town.  When I walked in, I saw table after table with trash sitting on it--disposable Starbucks cup after disposable Starbucks cup.  There was not a clean table in the place.  I just wanted to cry.

I had just been to a traditional Vienesse-style coffee house--real Espresso cups, coffee mugs, latte glasses, cafe au lait bowls, a rack of newspapers, with an air of elegance.  A waiter came and took our order, brought us our coffees, we sat and chatted, as soon as we were finished, he came and quietly cleared the table--for about half the price of a Starbucks coffee and waiting in line to order, getting a "to go" cup, and looking at trash all around me.  

Cafe Central? 

A Starbucks in the Old Town? Is there still that McDonalds in the Old Town as well? Must be for the tourists rushing through...

Spent a lot of time in my youth collecting bottles and cans for refunds.

[Bootsie]

6 hours ago, Mom_to3 said:

Cafe Central? 

A Starbucks in the Old Town? Is there still that McDonalds in the Old Town as well? Must be for the tourists rushing through...

Spent a lot of time in my youth collecting bottles and cans for refunds.

Yes!  Cafe Central!  

The Starbucks opened in Old Town, in the Ortner and Stanger building, across from the McDonalds (that is still here).  I remember when the only McDonalds in town was up Maria-Theresien Strasse from Old Town; a Dunkin Donuts went into that old location in the past year.  

It was striking to me how Starbucks has gone into a location with a culture of reusing glassware and ceramic mugs, but continued to serve in disposable containers.  The people were drinking their coffee there, rather than taking it with them, because the empty containers were all over the place, and no trashcan in site.  My daughter is at the University here and she has a reusable coffee cup for the University coffee shop.  It isn't just about Starbucks facing an uphill battle of retraining Americans--they do not seem to be doing a good job of reducing plastic waste in a culture where that is common and there are many local models to follow--at the McDonald's, if you order an ice cream sundae, rather than coming in a disposable, plastic bowl, the sundae comes in an edible ice cream cone-like bowl.  

[shawthorne44]

On cup holders, when DD was ready to move up to her last car seat I'd found a good one on Craigslist very near my parents.   So, I asked my dad to get it for me.  His comment afterward was "*Two* cup holders".   

Europeans do look askance at people walking around drinking, particularly non-alcohol.  A water bottle is a sign that says, "Tourist."     They also don't understand why we want big drinks.  We'll get a big one and carry it around with us.   They'll get a small one and consume it before moving on.