Starbucks Has Made a Commitment to Suck Less!
But did they really though?
Coffee giant Starbucks has vowed to remove all plastic straws from their stores by 2020- but you probably knew that part already.
What some see as a huge success in the name of reducing plastic waste, others see as merely futile straws among the oceans of plastic waste we have today (literally). Then who’s looking at the right thing? And how are we suppose to drink our grande iced mocha frapp without a straw? Allow me to give you a brief overview of where we are, why companies are making changes and 5 things we can do right now to make a change.
So how bad is it really?
Pretty f’ing bad.
Globally, about 300 million tons of plastic is produced every year. (NY Times) Just let that sink in.
300 million tons. Every. Single. Year.
But what for? Why? And where is it all going?
Let’s think about the plastic we use daily:
- Water bottles
- Sodas, juices, teas
- Cups
- Straws
- Takeout containers
- Bags (grocery, produce, bread, potato chip, ziploc, the bag you buy your spinach in, your grapes, saran wrap, the list goes on)
- Disposable razors
- Toothbrushes
- Cosmetic products
- Personal hygiene products like deodorant and tampon applicators
- Sunglasses
- Hand Sanitizer
- Pens and mechanical pencils
- Cleaning products
I could keep going but I think you get the idea. And, since it is so cheap, chances are once we are out of something we are going to just toss it anyway. So the “demand” for companies to create more is strong.
Now, I know what you might be thinking, “But I recycle!” And that’s great! However, it has been reported that out of alllll that plastic, all 300 million tons, only about 10% is recycled. (NY Times)
Is your jaw on the ground yet? It get’s better. (<– note my sarcasm). So of those 300 million tons, 8 million tons end up in the ocean every year. (Time) The rest of it? Landfills, the bellies of animals, up a turtle’s nose, entangling wildlife- we’ve all seen those videos. Not much plastic is incinerated. Oh! You will also see it littered along roadsides, in the floorboard of your friend’s car, not recycled in the trash cans at work… You know. Right in your face where you can do something about it before it becomes a problem.
What Are Companies Doing?
You can probably see why one of the biggest coffee shops worldwide would need to do something. So they are banning straws. Which is nice, right?
Well, some are saying that their straw ban won’t be as impactful as they intend. They are replacing the straw and lid combo with a heavier plastic lid. Which makes one wonder: How is more plastic going to help the problem of too much plastic?
Critics have wondered the same. Starbucks reps have explained that their lids are recyclable, while straws are not, as they have enough weight to be measured out on the sorting conveyor belt. (The Guardian) But as we learned earlier- not that many people actually recycle.
Other companies like PepsiCo that trying to use recycled plastic can’t fully because not enough bottles are being recycled in the US. What’s more, they don’t even denote that their bottles are made with recycled plastic. Why? Because they don’t believe it makes any differences on whether or not they are going to purchase their product. (The Atlantic) And at the end of the day kids- it’s all about that money.
Then there are some amazing companies who are researching ways to make single use plastic a thing of the past by replacing it with biodegradable alternatives.❤ (Fast Company)
What Can We Do?
With so. much. overwhelming information on the abundance of plastic waste efforts may seem futile and you may find yourself asking, “Well what difference will I make alone?”
So are the majority of the other 7 BILLION people on this planet. Think about that for a second. If every one person made some simple changes then we would make a huge impact. With that, I present you with:
5 Simple Things You Can Do Today To Cut Down On Plastic
- Bring your own bag
- And I don’t just mean when you go grocery shopping. I also mean when you go to Target, the drugstore, hell even the mall. Those single use bags may be fun to collect but they’re just going to end up in a landfill so buy a beautiful, easy-to-store reusable one and help out.
- Buy and carry a reusable utensil pack.
- Complete with spoon, fork, knife and straw, all in a nice, neat carrying case. Toss it in your bag and keep it with you and next time you’re dining out you will be prepared.
- My all time fave is this- complete with chopsticks for $10! –> https://amzn.to/2A3n6Rx
- If you want something lighter then there’s this bamboo one. Plus 25% of proceeds go to charity –> https://amzn.to/2LKRG3M
- You can also use your own cup!
- In fact, Starbucks will even reward you with $.10 off when you bring their reusable cup! Here’s a deal on a set of 3! –> https://amzn.to/2JN10mb
- REFILLABLE BOTTLES
- Getting our 8 glasses a day can mean we’re tossing a ton of plastic bottles. Not to mention that the plastic is leeching chemicals into the water you’re drinking. Prevent both, invest in something pretty and functional. –> https://amzn.to/2LIWua3
- Take your own To-Go box
- When you’re going out to dinner or over to a friend’s and you know you will probably have some leftover, just bring your own box. Whether it’s a plastic container from something else you bought or a glass Pyrex, save on that 1-time use of a plastic or styrofoam or even paper container.
While companies are doing what they can to make a difference, it is easy for us to watch from our point of view and criticize their efforts. Instead of investing our energy in that, let us all invest our energy into making changes our own lives to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Will we change the world overnight? If we all change ourselves today then we just might.
