Case Study:  "The Problem with Cups"

Starbucks has always strived to take leadership in environmental issues, whether it was by encouraging customers to compost used coffee grounds or offering free coffee drinks to customers who brought in their own reusable mugs. But the company faces a problem that has few solutions - cups. Across all of its stores, Starbucks uses more than 3 billion cups annually, most of which end up in the trash. Though the company would love to recycle these cups, it can't, since most processors don't have a process for recycling paper cups that are lined with plastic. The plastic lining also prevents the cups from being composted.

Answer the following questions:

•      How can Starbucks maintain its commitment to reducing waste as it keeps sending paper cups to landfills?

•      What steps do you think Starbucks could take to reduce the number of paper cups it uses?