It's official, folks. Earlier today, Starbucks announced plans to phase out plastic straws from all their locations by 2020.
Don't worry though – you'll still be able to sip your cold brew, thanks to a brand-new, recyclable cold-cup lid. It looks a little like a cross between a hot drink lid and the top of a sippy cup, and it'll soon become the standard lid for almost all Starbucks cold drinks.
The one exception is frappuccinos, which will soon be served with a paper or compostable plastic straw.
"This move is an answer to our own partners about what we can do to reduce the need for straws,” said a Starbucks spokesperson. “Not using a straw is the best thing we can do for the environment."
This change alone will eliminate more than one billion straws every year. Starbucks is also encouraging customers to BYOT (bring your own tumbler) in an effort to reduce even more waste.
The new lids will debut in Vancouver and Seattle first, so keep an eye out if you live nearby!
Earlier this summer, A&W Canada committed to ditching plastic straws, which they will replace in all their restaurants with a biodegradable paper option.
did you see this?
How will you drink a Frappuccino?
Second paragraph... straws will still be available for frappiccinos.
Good idea, but it’s going to be really hard to drink a frap out of.
Yeees! Though I didn’t read to see if the new lids are recyclable?
Get a reusable straw you lazy humans!
I had a soda with one of these lids and it was great.
I love these lids
I said the same thing
The lid looks plastic... so there will be a lid in place of every straw. Not trying to be critical of good intentions but seems like a lateral move. It's a single use item, it only needs to maintain its shape and function for a couple hours at most. Brainstorm some more and you'll come up with something better yet!
They’ll be offering paper or compostable straws for fraps or customers that require a straw.
mmmm Guinness... if only, right?