Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup • Hacker News Board

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#11

Post by Jtsummers » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:15 PM UTC

alecst wrote: post #8

Not only are they not recyclable, but there's a water cost, energy cost, and a pollution cost to making them. Obviously the fate of humanity doesn't depend on what we do with our coffee cups. But in my opinion the best solution is to have people bring their own cups and just reuse them, and unfortunately only a small percent of people do that. Back in grad school, to get people to bring their own cups more often, we…

Starbucks offered a discount for bringing your own cup for coffee. Though I rarely got anything other than their plain coffee so I honestly don't know if that discount also applied to the "fancy" drinks. I know they stopped letting you bring your own cup in 2020, not sure if they've resumed their use.

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#12

Post by commoner » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:18 PM UTC

diego wrote: post #4

This is misguided. Let's say this campaign succeeds. Maybe 10% of the cups will be recycled, leaving still a ton of waste. It would be much more effective to campaign against single-use cups. I grew up in a time in which you had to bring an empty bottle glass bottle to a shop, and they would take it and give you a full one, which you'd bring back empty next time. If you didn't have one, you'd leave a deposit (effecti…

I wouldn't call the campaign misguided, since recyclable paper cups would probably be more biodegradable than plastic-coated cups whether they're recycled or not.

Having a bottle deposit would surely be more environmentally friendly, but it would also generate more friction in the sales process and Starbucks would have to consider the business impact. Switching the coating of the cup is, according to the petition, "cost neutral" and there is no real downside to this change, assuming that the recyclable cups are of comparable quality. It seems like an easy and obvious change to make.

Also, switching to recyclable cups doesn't prevent Starbucks from implementing a bottle deposit, if they choose to do so later on.

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#13

Post by underseacables » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:20 PM UTC

How much waste is generated by the drive through windows? Let’s say for talking purposes all fast food places you had to dine in, no drive through. Would this reduce single use packaging and all that goes with it?

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#14

Post by misframer » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:21 PM UTC

Jtsummers wrote: post #11

alecst wrote: post #8

Not only are they not recyclable, but there's a water cost, energy cost, and a pollution cost to making them. Obviously the fate of humanity doesn't depend on what we do with our coffee cups. But in my opinion the best solution is to have people bring their own cups and just reuse them, and unfortunately only a small percent of people do that. Back in grad school, to get people to bring their own cups more often, we…

Starbucks offered a discount for bringing your own cup for coffee. Though I rarely got anything other than their plain coffee so I honestly don't know if that discount also applied to the "fancy" drinks. I know they stopped letting you bring your own cup in 2020, not sure if they've resumed their use.

They brought it back[0]. I remember getting discounts for lattes and mochas.

[0] https://stories.starbucks.com/stories/2021/starbucks-brings-...

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#15

Post by underseacables » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:22 PM UTC

wrzuteczka wrote: post #9

diego wrote: post #4

This is misguided. Let's say this campaign succeeds. Maybe 10% of the cups will be recycled, leaving still a ton of waste. It would be much more effective to campaign against single-use cups. I grew up in a time in which you had to bring an empty bottle glass bottle to a shop, and they would take it and give you a full one, which you'd bring back empty next time. If you didn't have one, you'd leave a deposit (effecti…

That’s how it still worked in the 90s in post-communist Central European countries. Then we got flooded with plastic just like the Westerners.

I was amazed in Berlin the recycling program that makes it very easy to recycle cans and bottles. People made it a job to pickup and search through trash so they could recycle. A can deposit would be welcomed, but maybe I’m old and just remember crushing cans to fill up trash bags to get $7. Sure was fun to get that money as a kid.

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#16

Post by emerongi » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:23 PM UTC

wrzuteczka wrote: post #9

diego wrote: post #4

This is misguided. Let's say this campaign succeeds. Maybe 10% of the cups will be recycled, leaving still a ton of waste. It would be much more effective to campaign against single-use cups. I grew up in a time in which you had to bring an empty bottle glass bottle to a shop, and they would take it and give you a full one, which you'd bring back empty next time. If you didn't have one, you'd leave a deposit (effecti…

That’s how it still worked in the 90s in post-communist Central European countries. Then we got flooded with plastic just like the Westerners.

There's a couple of grocery stores here that are recently trying out selling soap and shampoo this way. You bring your own bottle and fill it up. It makes sense and is not much extra hassle to the consumer, however I'm not sure how hard it is to scale logistics-wise.

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#17

Post by 908B64B197 » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:24 PM UTC

alecst wrote: post #8

Not only are they not recyclable, but there's a water cost, energy cost, and a pollution cost to making them. Obviously the fate of humanity doesn't depend on what we do with our coffee cups. But in my opinion the best solution is to have people bring their own cups and just reuse them, and unfortunately only a small percent of people do that. Back in grad school, to get people to bring their own cups more often, we…

> We put together the proposal, and we made it to the leadership of the dining program before the woman in charge vetoed it. Her reasoning? "This idea just makes me cringe." That was the end of it.

Which university was that?

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#18

Post by jazzyjackson » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:24 PM UTC

mjevans wrote: post #6

"The paper cups Starbucks currently uses contain a plastic lining" When someone says "Paper" cup, I assume paper and some kind of wax as a sealant, not plastic. I wonder if this violates any kind of FDA or FTC rules?

Starbucks isn’t special here, it’s a waterproof cup. I always assumed it was some kind of wax too so I also had a flashback to all the paper cups I threw in a recycling can [0]. But on second thought, what kind of wax deals well with water at 95C ? They’re all plastic coated.

[0] I guess most recycling is land filled or dumped in the ocean anyway, so my sins didn’t affect much of the outcome

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#19

Post by mattharney » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:26 PM UTC

alecst wrote: post #8

Not only are they not recyclable, but there's a water cost, energy cost, and a pollution cost to making them. Obviously the fate of humanity doesn't depend on what we do with our coffee cups. But in my opinion the best solution is to have people bring their own cups and just reuse them, and unfortunately only a small percent of people do that. Back in grad school, to get people to bring their own cups more often, we…

Excellent point - over 60% of the lifecycle costs of a cup are in the earlier phases (like raw materials, production, and transport).

So bringing your own cup is by FAR the best way to mitigate your own personal footprint.

Re: Impact Campaign: SEAL Calls On Starbucks To #UpTheCup

#20

Post by jazzyjackson » Wed, Aug 04, 2021, 7:30 PM UTC

tckerr wrote: post #5

yujian wrote: post #2

They also still use plastic cups (and then give you a paper straw lol)

The paper straws are horrible, borderline unusable.

lol I don’t think your comment deserved to be killed, you’re right. Paper cups are just as un-usable without the plastic coating. Still the pollution is a high cost for the convenience of coffee to go. Maybe the best solution is to make sure everyone to have time to make coffee at home instead of going to a drive through Starbucks (drive through takes same amount of time really)

…Or be less addicted to sugar and caffeine.