If your go-to Starbucks order includes an iced beverage, you may see something a little different on your next coffee run. The chain has announced that they’re switching to strawless lids for iced drinks in company-run stores in the U.S. and Canada. The only exception? They’ll still be serving their blended Frappuccinos and other drinks that include whipped cream on top with domed lids, except where local laws prohibit it.
You’ve probably already seen the lids before, since Starbucks has been testing them for a year. But if not, you’ll get to see them in action soon because they’re hitting stores within the next week or so. They’ve been nicknamed “sippy cups” because they look sort of like those little kids cups. So why are they making the change? It’s all about using fewer single use straws - Starbucks is trying to prevent an estimated one billion of them a year from ending up in landfills. These new lids are also made with around 9% less plastic than the traditional flat lid and straw combo.
Michael Kobori, chief sustainability officer at Starbucks, explains the strawless lids are “another step in our journey to reduce our environmental footprint.” And if you just can’t imagine sipping on your Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew without a straw, don’t worry, you can still get one if you ask. But they are testing alternatives like compostable straws, so in the future it might not be that green plastic straw you’re used to.
Source: Delish