Coronavirus Shows Insanity of Green Movement as Green Reusable Cups Replaced with Cleaner Disposable Cups
In an effort to help stop the spread of coronavirus, Starbucks has announced it will no longer serve drinks in customer-provided reusable cups.
The temporary measure was announced Wednesday and immediately went into effect in all of the eco-friendly mega corporation’s U.S. and Canada locations.
In response, some customers are upset.
The Seattle, Washington-based corporation’s normal policy — in which customers who being in their own reusable cup get a 10-cent discount — is apparently very popular with its customer base.
Prior to last Wednesday, customers could also order their drink in a “for here” ceramic mug that they return once they are finished.
That policy has been put on hold for the time being, Rossann Williams, the head of retail operations for Starbucks’ U.S. and Canada-based stores, announced in a blog post on the company’s website.
“As a global company, we’ve been closely monitoring the dynamic situation of COVID-19, along with the rest of the world,” Williams wrote.
“As North America began experiencing heightened concerns, we quickly initiated a regular cadence of communications with our store partners to ensure they have the support they need. We’ve already taken a series of precautionary steps in response to this emerging public health impact,” she added.
Williams then dropped the hammer on the coffee chain’s woke, eco-conscious reusable cup crowd. According to Williams, all iced caramel macchiato lattes with almond milk and 27 Splendas will have to be poured into store-provided, disposable cups.
“We are pausing the use of personal cups and ‘for here’ ware in our stores. We will continue to honor the 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or asks for ‘for here’ ware,” she wrote.
With Williams’ words, the liberal pipe dream of sustainability was thrown out the window, and some people were no longer able to save the world. Don’t tell Greta Thunberg.
Welcome to reality, Starbucks.
The chain’s top brass apparently recognizes that customer-provided cups could potentially aid the spread of coronavirus, and thus eliminated a risk before it became a problem.
While Starbucks will still honor its 10-cent discount, all customers will have to drink their expensive coffee in single-use cups that they will have to throw away when they are finished.
The policy change immediately ruffled feathers among the Starbucks eco crowd:
Just as a heads up, Starbucks on campus are now not accepting reusable cups due to coronavirus concerns. This isn’t something we have control over, please don’t yell at us for not being able to save your 10¢. This came directly from corporate and is nonnegotiable.
— ?Lydia? (@lydia_giselle0) March 5, 2020
One Twitter user lamented the company policy because it thwarted her work to “save the planet.”
im annoyed because at the starbucks at my school they arent letting us use resuable cups bc of the coronavirus…. like i get it but wtf im trying to save the planet
— rhi✰ (@cherrrhi) March 5, 2020
Other customers also took to social media to share their disappointment with the policy:
. @Starbucks isn’t taking personal cups anymore because of coronavirus, but it’s ok for me to take a cup from them after their employee has handled it? I think undue paranoia and environment be dammed. So much for #Starbucks green image. (Oh, and they still have plastic straws.)
— Brian (@BLDavid7) March 5, 2020
Hey starbucks- you are banning reusables that are often washed every day, yet take people’s cash and credit cards that aren’t washed ONCE?! Explain
— Marissa Burch (@worthnotwaste) March 7, 2020
y’all out here worrying about coronavirus so bad now i can’t even get my reusable cup discount at starbucks!!!!!!! ???
— devo (@devinrbyrd) March 10, 2020
lol can someone pls explain why @Starbucks in @AUStinAirport won’t let me use a reusable starbucks cup to get a drink? lol i lit bought it at that same starbucks not 5 days ago. are we anti-sustainability now lol
— Amelia (@kanyesbestbitch) March 9, 2020
hey @Starbucks pls explain how banning reusable cups will stop the spread of coronavirus im ANGRY
— a fit bird (@saintclur) March 9, 2020
If being prevented from bringing your reusable cup to a Starbucks location throws your life into a crisis, then perhaps it’s time to count your blessings or reevaluate your priorities.
Of course, some of the most radical environmentalists often claim that people are the greatest threat to the planet.
Perhaps in their minds, treating reusable cups as contraband is a missed opportunity for them to see a large number of people killed or sickened.
do your part to save the environment. don’t wash your hands. let the coronavirus spread. embrace the plague. if we all die the bees will live
— molly (@snooglio) March 2, 2020
But the big takeaway from Starbucks’ policy change is this: The liberal coffee chain, after all of its efforts to go green, has essentially admitted that single-use cups are better for the safety of the public than reusable cups.
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