Starbucks has enraged fans after announcing they would begin a new initiative to implement compostable cups – doing away with the signature plastic cup for cold drinks.
The infamous coffee chain is phasing in new cup options to prioritize sustainability.
New cups resemble ones used for hot drinks, and are made from fiber-based paper with a bioplastic liner.
The lids are a dome shape instead of a flat cover with an insert for plastic straws.
But the move isn’t sitting well with Starbucks drinkers, with one recent customer expressing their confusion on Reddit.
The Redditor shared photos of their shaken espresso, which was put in the new compostable opaque cup.
‘The look of that is upsetting,’ one commenter wrote after seeing the new sustainable cups.
‘I would not trust my shaken espressos to be properly layered ever again. Please don’t,’ another agreed.
The new compostable cups are double-lined and feature a dome lid made of fiber-based paper
Starbucks allows customers to bring in their own reusable personal containers to prevent waste of single-use cups
‘Trying to sip cold foam through them is awful. The lid has an odd taste and texture and the hole is too small,’ a third wrote.
A fourth claimed that the paper design will make it harder for customers to distinguish at first glance whether they received the correct order.
Although many Starbucks lovers were disappointed at the unveiling of the new cup design, others were more positive about the potential of eliminating plastic waste.
‘If it means dramatically reducing the amount of plastic cups, we should all be rejoicing,’ one commenter argued.
‘I honestly like this a lot as long as it’s designed well and doesn’t leak. I always feel guilty with my massive single use venti cup,’ another added.
A third pointed out that people may be less motivated to order aesthetically pleasing drinks to post on social media.
‘Does this mean we can stop all the stupid instagrammable layered drinks now????? I’m sick of needing to stir everything together because it was made to be photogenic over drinkable!’ the commenter wrote.
The compostable cups are available for both cold and hot drinks. They are double-walled to reduce condensation.
The initiative is only piloted in 14 states, including, California, Washington, Hawaii, Minnesota, Arizona, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, Connecticut, Virginia, South Carolina, Colorado, and Georgia.
Not all cups will be the new design, as the coffee chain encourages customers to bring in their own clean personal cups.
Since introducing the option, Starbucks says over 1.6 million rewards members have opted to bring in their personal cups.
The coffeehouse estimated that the sustainable option has eliminated an average waste of two million cups per month.
The compostable cup and lid will be used for both hot and cold drinks at select locations
A Reddit user shared a photo of their shaken espresso in the new compostable cup at Starbucks
Starbucks has also started serving drinks in mugs or glasses for those who plan to stay and drink their beverage at the coffeehouse.
Those who order their drink ‘for here’ can also ask for free refills on hot or iced coffee and tea.
Returnable cups are being piloted at 30 markets worldwide, with some stores making the option their default cup.
Starbucks said that the new cups will help them reach their goal of reducing waste by 50 percent and shifting all single-use packaging to either be recyclable or compostable by 2030.
Dailymail.com has reached out to Starbucks for comment.
