PRESS RELEASE

Survey Says… Starbucks Fails to Deliver On Its Corporation-Wide Policy Of Serving “For Here” Drinks In Reusable Mugs and Glasses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 7, 2026

Contact:
Eve Fox, The Story of Stuff Project | eve at story of stuff dot org

A new audit conducted by Story of Stuff members in 30 states revealed that 77% of customers were never asked if their order was “for here” or “to go”, nevermind served their drink in a reusable cup or mug. Actor Amy Aquino joins forces with advocates to demand real solutions to reduce Starbucks’ single-use plastic waste while supporting employees.

BERKELEY, CA — A new, real-world observational audit released by The Story of Stuff Project reveals a glaring divide between Starbucks’ corporate sustainability promises and the daily realities in its cafes. Despite the coffee giant’s public commitment to default to serving all beverages for on-site customers in reusable ceramic mugs or glasses, the audit found that single-use plastic and paper cups remain the overwhelming default across the nation.

To amplify the audit’s findings, The Story of Stuff Project partnered with actor and sustainability champion Amy Aquino (Bosch, ER, The Good Wife) on a joint campaign reel calling on Starbucks executives to stop misleading the public. In the video, Aquino highlighted that Starbucks sends nearly 8 million plastic cold cups – and millions more hot cups – to landfills every single day in the U.S.

“Announcing an initiative without providing enough staffing, training, or equipment—like a dishwasher—to make it happen is unfair to the workers and deceptive for the public,” said Amy Aquino. “Starbucks, it doesn’t take a detective to see you’re not following through on your promises to your workers and our planet.”

The Story of Stuff Project’s community-led survey—which documented 151 customer visits at over 140 Starbucks locations across 30 states—found that:

  • 77% of customers (116 out of 151) were never asked whether their order was “for here or to go.”
  • Only 36% of customers received a reusable cup, with many forced to specifically ask staff to avoid a disposable container.
  • 76% of observations found zero other cafe diners using store-provided reusable dishes or silverware.
  • 85% of store visits lacked visible signage or information promoting the chain’s reusable cup perks or policies.

Starbucks’ stated policy on its A Better Cup for All platform explicitly commits to serving all beverages in reusable glass or ceramic mugs for cafe customers unless a disposable cup is requested. The audit demonstrates that implementation and resourcing, not customer demand, are the primary barriers to success.

“Customers want to do the right thing, but Starbucks is making it nearly impossible by defaulting to disposable plastic at every turn,” said Alex Choy, Campaign Advocacy Manager at The Story of Stuff Project, speaking at a recent action outside Starbucks leadership offices. “It’s time for Starbucks to stop putting a corporate PR spin on plastic waste and start giving baristas the staffing, dishwashing capacity, and support they need to actually serve drinks in reusable cups.”

Real Experiences from Real Customers

Customer testimonies collected during the nationwide audit reflect widespread frustration with the company’s single-use default:

  • “I wish they would ask if you wanted a ceramic cup first before automatically giving you the plastic one.” — Sebastian, Illinois
  • “We have always had to specifically ask for our drinks to be placed in a mug. The default is a plastic cup.” — Anna
  • “I WISH I could have had a ceramic mug!” — Sandee, Arizona
  • “I had asked for a ceramic cup because I was going to drink my coffee in the restaurant, but I was given a disposable cup.” — Micaela, California

Recommendations To Support Workers and Reduce Single-Use Plastic Waste

The survey results highlight that failing to provide reusable dishware is often a structural issue caused by a lack of capacity and labor support. Union baristas with Starbucks Workers United have echoed these concerns, pointing out that store-level execution requires adequate staffing and functional dishwashing infrastructure—commitments Starbucks has continually neglected while negotiating with workers fighting for a fair contract.

“At work, our recycling gets mixed into our trash because we are not staffed or trained to recycle properly. We are trained to toss everything in the garbage,” said Jeremiah Pettus, barista at Starbucks Downtown Disney and member of Starbucks Workers United at the news conference outside Starbucks leadership offices

To close the implementation gap, The Story of Stuff Project recommends Starbucks take four key steps:

  1. Invest in Store Infrastructure & Staffing: Provide baristas with the training, increased staffing levels, and commercial dishwashing capacity required to operationalize reusable foodware on-site.
  2. Proactively Market Reusables: Launch robust in-store signage and marketing campaigns promoting “for here” glassware, refills, and “Bring Your Own” (BYO) discounts, matching the marketing dollars currently spent advertising disposable cup programs.
  3. Increase Reuse Incentives: Substantially raise and actively advertise financial discounts for customers who bring their own cups beyond the current 10-cent discount.
  4. Commit to Scalable Reusable To-Go Systems: Research and invest in standardized, returnable cup networks for the to-go sector, building on proven global models like Club Zero, Muuse, and Okapi.

“If Starbucks is serious about reducing its tremendous amount of single-use plastic waste, the company needs to do more than showcase ceramic cups and glasses on its shelves. It claims that reuse is its corporate policy and all customers enjoying a Starbucks beverage inside its 10,000+ company-owned cafes will be served in a reusable cup – yet it’s very rare to see customers drinking from a Starbucks provided reusable. It’s time the company inspects what’s required to fully implement its own policy, including supporting its workers with what’s needed to make reuse in Starbucks stores a reality, not just a claim on its website,” said Susan Keefe, Southern California Director at Beyond Plastics.

The Story of Stuff Project is urging members of the public to hold Starbucks accountable for its misleading claims both about its single-use plastic cold cups which it touts as “widely recyclable”, despite clear data to the contrary from Beyond Plastics’ cup tracking project, as well as about providing reusable cups and mugs as the default for all “for here” orders in its cafes and to demand an immediate shift away from all aspirational yet unsubstantiated claims about recyclability and reuse and towards genuine zero-waste practices.

Resources:

About The Story of Stuff Project
The Story of Stuff Project’s mission is to build a more sustainable, healthy and fair world by transforming the way we think about, make, use, and throw away “stuff.” Learn more at storyofstuff.org. 

###

Posted by The Story of Stuff Project on October 7, 2026