Starbucks does not recycle plastic cups it claims are ‘widely recyclable’, report says | Starbucks

If you attach a GPS tracker to a “commonly recyclable” plastic Starbucks cup and throw it in the recycling bin at the store, you might expect it to go to a recycling facility, but environmental watchdog organization Beyond Plastics says that’s not the case in a new report.

Starbucks announced earlier this year that its plastic cups are now considered “broadly recyclable,” according to How2Recycle, a consumer packaging industry group that helps private companies label their packaging with recycling options. coffee giant launched He called the achievement “a huge milestone with a big impact.”

In response, researchers and volunteers at Beyond Plastics, whose mission is to “end plastic pollution everywhere,” conducted a study between January and March 2026 to determine whether Starbucks’ plastic cups for cold drinks were actually recycled.

“I used Bluetooth-enabled trackers,” said study leader Susan Keefe. “And I glued them to the cups using Gorilla Glue and put them in specially labeled recycling bins at Starbucks stores. Then you can track them on your phone.”

Keefe and a group of volunteers tracked down 53 polypropylene plastic cups that started in recycling bins at Starbucks locations in nine states and Washington, D.C. Each recycling bin had signs clearly stating that these specific containers could be recycled. results It was striking: Not a single glass went to the recycling facility.

Of the 36 trackers who reached their final destination intact, none were located at a recycling facility.

Instead, Beyond Plastics said, 16 trackers pinged from landfills, nine from incinerators, eight from waste transfer stations (one stop on the way to a landfill or incinerator), and three pinged a materials recovery facility (which bales but does not recycle plastics). The plastic cup made the longest journey, from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to the landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.

“It’s really tricky to go out and just say, ‘Oh, these cups are largely recyclable,'” Keefe said. “We have to accept the fact that these materials are not recycled. In fact, they are not.”

In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson told the Guardian: “Our cups are designed to be recyclable and the ‘widely accepted definition for recycling’ reflects this. Clearly, recycling in practice also requires local community infrastructure. That’s why we’re working closely with others, including recycling companies, to help expand access and improve the system.”

Polypropylene, the material used for single-use plastic cups at Starbucks and other fast food restaurants, could theoretically be recycled into other plastic products, from consumer product packaging to toys. However, very few recycling facilities are equipped to recycle this type of plastic. Actually Greenpeace report As of late 2025, there were only two commercially operating facilities in the country, one in Alabama and one in Missouri.

“I have to imagine that Starbucks is aware of the number of facilities that actually reprocess waste,” Keefe says. “Starbucks tells people that these items are actually recyclable. But that doesn’t mean recycling is actually happening.”

Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and former EPA regional administrator, emphasized that “accepting a plastic product for recycling is not the same as actually recycling it, and the company knows the difference.”

“It’s time for Starbucks to drop misleading recycling claims and start prioritizing plastic-free, preferably reusable, alternatives for its customers,” he said.

Beyond Plastics recommends that Starbucks convert all plastic cups nationwide to fiber-based to-go cups and lids and encourage the use of more reusable cups, but at least remove misleading labels on in-store recycling bins.

“I think we need to stop talking about the recyclability of plastic and focus on moving away from single-use plastic, at least in food and beverage packaging,” Keefe said. “Not to mention the fact that plastic has chemicals in it and all kinds of other things that affect our health.”

refereed studies to have repeatedly found that plastic waste can be toxic to humans and lead to health effects such as respiratory diseases, endocrine disruption and cancer.

“I truly believe that companies, especially when they make claims about sustainability and goal setting, should be held accountable to those goals,” Keefe said. “Especially Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee chain. That’s why what they say is important.”