Starbucks Polypropylene Cups Not Recycled, Study Finds

Beyond Plastics placed Bluetooth trackers in 53 single-use polypropylene cold-drink cups, retrieved usable data from 36, and found none reached a recycling facility. Sixteen cups went to landfills, nine to incinerators, eight to waste-transfer stations, and three to materials-recovery facilities that only bale plastic. The longest trip spanned 463 miles from Brooklyn to an Ohio landfill.

Beyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond Plastics

In February 2026 Starbucks announced, with Waste Management and three recycling groups, that its polypropylene cups were “widely recyclable” under the How2Recycle label, claiming over 60 % of U.S. households could curbside-recycle them. National plastic-recycling rates are under 6 %, and only two commercial facilities—KW Plastics in Troy, Alabama, and St. Joseph Plastics in Missouri—are known to process post-consumer polypropylene.

Beyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond PlasticsReutersThe Guardian

A Starbucks spokesperson said the cups are “designed to be recyclable” and that the “widely accepted for recycling” label reflects that, while noting that recycling depends on local infrastructure. Beyond Plastics president Judith Enck said accepting a plastic item for recycling is not the same as actually recycling it and urged Starbucks to stop misleading claims and consider fiber-based alternatives.

ReutersThe GuardianBeyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond Plastics

Starbucks challenged the methodology, arguing that placing electronic trackers can alter handling and does not reflect typical recycling streams. The Association of Plastic Recyclers echoed this concern, suggesting the devices might cause diversion from standard processing.

The Guardian

The study reports zero cups reaching a recycling plant, while Starbucks maintains the study’s approach is flawed and unrepresentative. Public data on U.S. polypropylene-recycling capacity remain sparse, leaving the true diversion rate uncertain.

Beyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond Plastics

• “Starbucks is telling its customers that these plastic cups get recycled, but our trackers tell a different story — they're ending up in landfills and incinerators and not being recycled,” — Judith Enck, president, Beyond Plastics

Beyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond Plastics

• “We tracked Starbucks’ plastic cups using Starbucks’ own in-store recycling bins, and not a single one ended up at a recycling facility,” — Susan Keefe, Beyond Plastics Southern California director

Beyond Plastics Tracked Starbucks’ ‘Widely Recyclable’ Plastic Cups. None Ended Up at a Recycling Facility. — Beyond Plastics

• “ In a statement, a Starbucks spokesperson told the Guardian: “Our cups are designed to be recyclable, and the ‘widely accepted for recycling’ designation reflects that.” — Starbucks spokesperson

The Guardian

• “Studies that place electronic trackers inside cups do not reflect how recycling systems operate in practice.” — Starbucks spokesperson

The Guardian

Starbucks has pledged 100 % reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2030 and now permits customers to bring personal cups for mobile orders. Beyond Plastics continues to push for a nationwide shift to fiber-based to-go cups and for stronger accountability for sustainability claims.

Reuters