Starbucks goes strawless
In a move to make their business more eco-friendly, Starbucks has begun to eliminate the the use of plastic straws in their stores. According to the New York Times, this change will reduce waste polluting the ocean by eliminating over 1 billion straws used worldwide annually. This change will affect most cold drinks served in their stores, and will be fully implemented by 2020.
Plastic straws are no longer going to be used in most iced drinks because they are not recyclable. These straws are contributing to the abundance of trash filling up the ocean, which causes a decline in the health and lifespan of marine animals.
“I support Starbucks getting rid of plastic straws because I think it is better for the environment, and we need to make a better effort of reducing the amount of plastic polluting our world. I hope that since Starbucks is such a popular company, this change will encourage other businesses to follow, ” Danielle B. ‘21 said.
On July 9, Starbucks revealed a new lid to be used in place of straws. The lid is clear and has a hole shaped like a teardrop, instead of a hole for a straw. This is similar to the rectangular hole in the lids for hot drinks. Frappuccinos are the only exception, due to the consistency. Paper straws will be provided for those drinks instead of the new lid. Any customer who wants or needs a straw for their iced drink must request one. They will then receive a straw made of other sustainable materials, such as paper or compostable plastic.
“Strawless lids get us a long way toward meeting our commitment, significantly reducing the number of straws from Starbucks stores,” Starbucks Customer Service Representative Maria M. said.
Seattle, Wash., home of Starbucks’ corporate headquarters, is one the of the first cities in the United States to ban single-use plastic straws. According to the New York Times, Starbucks’ goal of stopping the use of straws is to inspire other businesses to limit the amount of non-recyclable plastic being used in their everyday activities and sales.
“I think that by Starbucks banning plastic straws, other companies will follow in their footsteps in the near future. I hope this decision promotes change and helps to limit the amount of trash heading towards the ocean and killing marine life,” Olivia G. ‘21 said.
Fay Dudon • Mar 7, 2023 at 7:34 am
I like that you asked an actual starbucks worker to ask questions to, to get someone’s opinion on who might’ve helped come up with the idea. I think the idea itself is a great one that helps us little by little to help the environment.
Camryn Draper • Dec 11, 2019 at 2:25 pm
I liked this article because I drink coffee quite a bit. I also care about the environment and would hope that major businesses such as Starbucks are being progressive in the fight against climate change.
caitlin kravitz • Dec 11, 2019 at 2:19 pm
I’m so glad that starbucks is doing their part to save the environment. A little dated, are we still providing products without straws.
Lauren Hughes • Dec 11, 2019 at 2:14 pm
I liked how you got a direct quote from a Starbucks employee and how you included a transition in between each quote.
Elizabeth Bell • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:25 pm
I loved how you had a quote from someone who works at Starbucks. I also didn’t know that Seattle has already ban them.
Giana Volpe • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:15 pm
I really like the different quotes you added in this article. Its also very relevant because a lot of people including myself drink Starbucks. Since there’s also one located by the school a lot of people can relate to this article. Lastly, this is also a good source of information as more people will go there to see for themselves the new lids!
Elena Robinson • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:14 pm
I like how you got a good variety of sources and how you even got a Starbucks service representative. I also think you did a good job using the inverted triangle style of writing. This is a great story that many people will be interested in.
Giana Volpe • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:13 pm
I really like the different quotes you added in this article. Its also very relevant because a lot of people including myself drink Starbucks. Since there’s also one located by the school a lot of people can relate to this article. Lastly, this is also a good source of information as more people will go there to see for themselves the new lids.
Ava • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:09 pm
I like this article a lot. I think it is important for people around the community to know information like this. For some, straws are something they use every day and in every drink so they might want to bring their own reusable straw when they go to Starbucks in 2020. Overall I think the article was written well.
Sophie Flowers • Dec 11, 2019 at 1:08 pm
I liked the article because I thought it was interesting how even major companies are giving efforts in order to be more eco-friendly and the lead really drew me in and informed me what the story was going to be about.
ellie • Nov 7, 2018 at 10:29 pm
1. The reason I chose this article was because I along with many other people drink Starbucks a lot. I was interested to see how they would upgrade their company.
2.I learned how Starbucks was upping their game with new lids with the idea to save the Earth one step at a time.
3. This article has human interest, proximity and timely.
Ellie Nicoloulias • Nov 6, 2018 at 7:02 pm
I liked how they had a lot of quotes about the change in Starbucks, especially one from a worker. I learned that Starbucks will replace their plastic straws with new lids with a teardrop hole to drink out of instead. This article has human interest because it saves the environment and animals which most people care about. Most people also go to Starbucks so more people will want to know what’s going on with the company changes.
Kennedy Rehklau • Nov 6, 2018 at 5:23 pm
1.) I liked that you included a quote from a real starbucks worker because it made the article more realistic to the reader.
2.) I learned that Starbucks plans to be strawless by 2020 and that Seattle already has them banned
3.)This includes human interest because it is a very popular company to our generation.
lauren beaumont • Nov 5, 2018 at 2:20 pm
I liked how you wrote about starbucks because i love starbucks and i really hope they do not go strawless. I learned that plastic is very harmful to the enviorment and how they are trying to fix it. This includes timeliness because it is pretty recent, and human interest because a lot of people love starbucks.
Taia Baerga • Nov 5, 2018 at 2:09 pm
I liked how you referenced a Starbucks worker to get information. I learned that Starbucks does not use straws to prevent pollution and waste. This article involves human interest because of the topic and prominence because Starbucks is a big business.
maleah • Nov 5, 2018 at 12:07 pm
1.) I like how she included more than one person’s opinion on whether or not they were against plastic straws.
2.) I learned how harmful plastic straws really are to the environment and how big of an effect Starbucks can have on marine animals.
3.) This article contains human interest because Starbucks is very relevant to our age group and attracts readers.
Kaitlyn Fetter • Nov 5, 2018 at 11:54 am
I like all of the quotes used especially the one from a Starbucks worker.
I learned Starbucks will be fully strawless in 2020.
News elements involved in this article include conflict, prominence, and human interest.
Lily • Nov 5, 2018 at 11:52 am
I liked how this article got a response form someone who actually worked at Starbucks. I learned that in Seattle the plastic straws are actually banned. One news element in this article is prominence, because this is a very talked about topic right now. It also has conflict because some people believe we should have plastic straws and some people believe we shouldn’t.