Starbucks Institutes Surcharge on Disposable Paper Cups

SEATTLE (Waste 360): Starbucks, the international coffeehouse chain, will institute a 5 pence surcharge for disposable cups in 35 of its London locations as an incentive to reduce waste. Starbucks will be the first U.K. coffee chain to institute such a fee.

The fee is part of a three-month trial to try and reduce paper and plastic waste. Baristas will serve coffee in ceramic cups to those who are enjoying their beverages in the café, and to-go customers will be encouraged to bring their own reusable cups.

The trial comes after financial incentives to encourage consumers to use reusable coffee cups have had disappointing results. In 1998 Starbucks was the first coffee chain in the UK to offer users of reusable cups a discount – 10p – before upping it to 25p in 2008. In 2016 it doubled this to 50p, but take-up remained low and it is now back to 25p.

Courtesy: https://waste360.com