Plastic cups are still being discarded despite being labeled 'recyclable'.

According to an American environmental organization, the majority of Starbucks' plastic cups in the US are not recycled as claimed and are instead discarded in landfills.

According to research published last week by the non-profit environmental organization Beyond Plastics, the disposable plastic cups used by Starbucks in the US are not actually recycled as the company claims.

Specifically, Beyond Plastics stated that the organization attached tracking devices to 36 polypropylene (PP) plastic cups, then placed them in recycling bins at various Starbucks stores across the United States.

Starbucks plastic cup. (Illustrative image.)

Tracking results showed that none of the cups were sent to a recycling plant. Instead, 33 were either sent to or en route to landfills and incinerators. The remaining three last signaled at waste sorting facilities.

These plastic cups are all printed with a prominent recycling symbol and appear in the store's recycling bin system. Previously, Starbucks announced that its polypropylene plastic cups were considered "widely recyclable" in the US after receiving certification from the labeling organization How2Recycle in February of this year.

Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former official of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urged Starbucks to stop promoting plastic cups as “recyclable” and switch to cups made from paper fibers, as the company has done in some other markets.

According to Beyond Plastics, the plastic recycling rate in the US is currently below 6%, while the majority of recycled plastic is not polypropylene. The organization argues that very few processing facilities are equipped with the technology to recycle this type of plastic.

In response to the research findings, Starbucks stated that the company questioned the methodology used by Beyond Plastics, but did not provide specific details.

Plastics industry associations, including the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), suggest that the tracking devices attached to the cups may be the reason 36 cups were rejected from the recycling process. Starbucks also stated that recycling efficiency depends heavily on local waste processing infrastructure and affirmed that it is working with recycling businesses to expand access and improve the system.

In 2020, Starbucks committed to transitioning all customer packaging to reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable materials by the end of the decade. Starting in 2024, the company will allow customers in the US to bring their own reusable cups when ordering drinks through the app or drive-through service.

Under CEO Brian Niccol, Starbucks also implemented a policy of serving dine-in customers with reusable ceramic cups. However, Beyond Plastics reports that many dine-in customers are still served with single-use plastic cups.

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