New Starbucks cups to reduce plastic waste

Booming sales of cold drinks at Starbucks have led to an increase in the amount of plastic waste and disposable cups in which Frappuccinos, soft drinks, cold beer and other cold drinks are served. The coffee giant announced Thursday that it plans to Reduce some of this waste with new disposable cups that contain 20% less plastic. The mugs are set to be available in stores in the US and Canada starting this month.

Amelia Landers, Starbucks' vice president of product innovation, said the Seattle-based company has spent the past four years creating new containers.

Starbucks says Frappuccinos and other cold drinks now account for 75 percent of its beverage sales in the U.S., up from 37 percent in 2013. The company estimates that the new cups will reduce more than 13.5 million pounds of plastic from landfills annually.

The production of these glasses also requires less water and produces less carbon emissions, which helps reduce climate pollution.

The company plans to offer the reusable cup in thousands of its stores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa next year.

Under the program, customers pay a small fee when they buy a hot or cold drink in this specially designed glass that can be used up to 30 times. Starbucks has tested reusable cups in California, Arizona and Colorado.

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