Starbucks is finally allowing consumers to bring their own cups.
The coffee giant announced that starting Wednesday, Jan. 3, customers can use reusable cups at all company-operated stores across the United States and Canada. Starbucks (SBUX) – Get Free Report customers can use their cups whether ordering at the counter, via mobile order on the Starbucks app, or at a drive-thru.
Starbucks said that the move makes it the first national coffeehouse in the U.S. to allow customers to use reusable cups for mobile and drive-thru orders. In Canada, Starbucks said that it is the first to let customers “use their personal cup in mobile order for all drinks and all sizes.”
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Customers who use a reusable cup will receive a $0.10 discount on their drink — though Starbucks Rewards members in the U.S. will get an even bigger benefit of 25 Bonus Stars. This applies on up to three orders a day.
25 Bonus Stars is enough for a free drink customization for a future drink, like changing to oat milk or adding another espresso shot. Earning 100 Bonus Stars for a free brewed coffee or bakery item or even 200 Bonus Stars for a free handcrafted drink just got a lot easier for customers who order with their reusable cups.
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Perhaps a bigger benefit of this change is how drastically it could reduce waste. Starbucks produced about 374,000 tons of waste in 2021. Additionally, it produces about 8,000 paper cups per minute, according to Cleanwater.org.
Starbucks has said that this initiative is part of its 2020 commitment to reduce its waste by 50% by 2030.
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