Discussion on:

Starbucks: Cup recycling logistics harder than they seem

It would seem that Starbucks heart is in the right place. Unfortunately until each municipality comes up with it's recycling plan, business owners are stuck. But, perhaps a business like Starbucks can become the leader in this and work with the municipality in a cooperative way to solve this impasse and help our planet. And, perhaps, compostable products would be an alternative solution. Maybe leave it up to each individual store to find it's best solution. If a compost site is nearby, then that would dictate using compostable cups. If a paper recycling site was nearby, that would mean using recyclable cups.

Easy solution: Charge for cups.

Put the price of a cup on the board. And watch how many people start to use their own resuable glass / plastic cup each day. I'd spitball it at 35% after 6 months. Especially considering the amount of SB's customers who are routine.

Retrofit the coffee spout with meters to track flow, like a gas station, and charge by volume (and adjust for flavor options).