Starbucks’ In-Store Recycling Availability Triples

Starbucks Coffee Co. said it has tripled the availability of in-store recycling since 2010, according to its 2011 sustainability report.

The Seattle-based retailer said in a news release it is now offering front-of-store recycling in more than 1,000, or 18 percent, of its stores in the United States and Canada. Starbucks is supporting local market testing and implementation to accelerate future recycling efforts.

Starbucks also said in the report that it is now building 75 percent of new-company owned stores to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, with an ultimate goal of 100 percent. It also has reduced energy consumption by 7.5 percent compared with three years earlier.

The company said it is trying to develop comprehensive recycling solutions for paper and plastic cups by the end of this year. Those initiatives include the Third Cup Summit and the formation of the Paper Recovery Alliance with the Food Packaging Institute.

Starbucks said it is facing tough challenges on its 2008 reusable cups goal of 25 percent of all beverages. The company now is setting a goal of 5 percent of beverages served in personal tumblers by 2015. In 2011 Starbucks sold slightly less than 2 percent of its beverages (34 million) in reusable cups.