Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Lifestyle
Kaitlyn Alanis

'I swear I'm an adult.' Starbucks banning plastic straws � but you can have a sippy cup

If you were like many other kids, you probably stopped drinking from a sippy cup when you were 3 or 4 years old _ and you probably never had coffee in your spill-proof cup.

But times have changed.

Now years later, it's time to accept that you may need to start drinking from a sippy-cup-like lid again, even while drinking coffee and tea.

As part of a global movement to reduce the amount of plastic straws that lead to ocean pollution and environmental waste, Starbucks announced last week that it would be phasing out plastic straws from its more than 28,000 stores wordwide by 2020.

That doesn't mean you will have to drink without a lid, though.

To replace the straws, Starbucks introduced a new "cold-cup lid" that features a raised lip, much like a sippy cup. The lid, which is made of a recyclable plastic, has a teardrop-sized opening that's about the size of a thumbprint, and it's "less-ridged" than the coffee chain's hot-cup lid, according to Starbucks.

And people sure did notice the sippy-cup resemblance.

"I got a sippy cup at Starbucks this morning ... I swear I'm an adult," one person posted to Twitter.

Not everyone loves the flashback to their childhood.

"Starbucks Im not dribbling COFFEE of all stains, on my clothes," a Twitter user wrote.

"Honestly it's gonna be weird to drink it as a sippy cup," said another.

For those who still want a straw, Starbucks said it will offer straws made with an "alternative material," like paper or compostable plastic, to those who prefer or need a straw. The alternative straws will also come with Frappuccino blended beverages.

This no-straw movement has spread rapidly in recent months while environmental groups work to prevent non-degradable straws from ending up in beaches and oceans, NBC News reported. Straw Free environmentalist group says 500 million plastic straws are thrown away every day in the U.S.

Starbucks estimates that it uses 1 billion plastic straws in its stores every year.

The coffee chain's announcement came a week after its hometown of Seattle banned single-use plastic straws and utensils at businesses that sell food and drinks, the Associated Press reported.

Malibu, San Luis Obisbo, Miami Beach and Davis, Calif. also have banned or limited the use of plastic straws in restaurants, according to the New York Times.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.