- Published:October 8th, 2007
- Comments:2 Comments
- Category:That Pisses Me Off
Starbucks has responded to my previous post about Starbucks recycling via email. Here you go:
Hello Mika,
Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company with your questions regarding our recycling efforts.
Starbucks is committed to protecting and improving the environment, and is continually pursuing opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle our waste products where commercial facilities exist. Most of our retail store recycling is conducted “behind the scenes” in the back room (boxes, milk jugs, etc.). If you are not certain that recycling is taking place in a store, please ask a store manager; he/she can explain what we are doing, what is recyclable in the local area, and what the landlord will allow for waste disposal. One of our challenges is that some parts of the country can process more recyclable materials than others. We are working with a recycling subcontractor to locate local recycling facilities to process materials generated from each store.
In addition to our retail stores, Starbucks recycling programs exist in our other facilities, including Starbucks Support Center, our global headquarters in Seattle, and our roasting plants in Kent, Washington; York, Pennsylvania; and Carson Valley, Nevada. Additionally, we consider
recyclability, reusability and recycled content in our paper and packaging purchases to reduce our impact on the environment. Last year, Starbucks paper products contained 26% post consumer recycled content. We have targeted 30% post-consumer content for all future paper purchases.On the waste reduction side, we are focused on encouraging reuse of coffee grounds by packaging them and giving them to customers to use as a soil amendment in their gardens. We also offer customers a 10ยข discount each time they use their commuter mug to enjoy their Starbucks beverage. Last year, our customers used their own mugs 13.5 million times, which prevented 586,800 pounds of paper waste from reaching landfills. Reusing coffee grounds and the commuter mug discount complement our recycling efforts because they help to minimize the amount of waste that is produced in each store.
Please know that we appreciate your comments and that we take our responsibility to the environment very seriously. Your concerns will be forwarded to our utility specialist, who manages in-store recycling for North America. If you have additional questions or comments, please contact us at info@starbucks.com or call 1-800-235-2883 to speak directly with a customer relations representative.
Thank you again for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.
Sincerely,
(name removed)
Customer Relations RepresentativeIf you would like to share your thoughts about your experience with Starbucks Customer Contact Center, please click on the link below to participate in a short survey. Your comments will be used to ensure that any future experiences with Starbucks Customer Contact Center meet your highest expectations.
I think it’s a pretty good explanation of what they’re doing, but I think here in Portland most people are a lot more demanding of recycling, and I for one would like to see it so customers can recycle too.
2 Commenti
At least they replied and actually addressed your questions/concerns. That’s more than you’d get from some companies of their size.
In-store recycling options for customers would serve two purposes. The feel-good factor for customers, and potentially less work for employees who are apparently doing this recycling ‘behind the scenes’ - if indeed any of the recycling they do extends to the products used by the customer.
Good point about less work for their employees.
And I think that ‘this age’ (makes me feel like an old fart saying that) where people are able to easily share information online helps to both allow people to express concern more publicly, but also to encourage companies to offer their own responses more publicly.