A new investigation by environmental watchdog group Beyond Plastics reveals that Starbucks' plastic cups, marketed as 'widely recyclable,' are not being recycled in practice. The study, conducted between January and March 2026, involved attaching Bluetooth-enabled trackers to 53 polypropylene cups and depositing them in Starbucks in-store recycling bins across nine states and Washington DC. None of the cups ended up at a recycling facility.
Tracking the Cups
Lead researcher Susan Keefe glued trackers into the cups using Gorilla Glue and placed them in bins clearly labeled for recycling. Of the 36 trackers that reached a final destination intact, 16 were located at landfills, nine at incinerators, eight at waste-transfer stations, and three at materials recovery facilities that bale but do not recycle plastics. One cup traveled from a Williamsburg, Brooklyn location to a landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.
Starbucks Responds
A Starbucks spokesperson stated: 'Our cups are designed to be recyclable, and the ‘widely accepted for recycling’ designation reflects that. Recycling in practice also requires local community infrastructure.' The company later criticized the study's methodology, saying electronic trackers do not reflect how recycling systems operate and can introduce contamination.
Polypropylene, the material used in Starbucks cups, can theoretically be recycled, but very few facilities are equipped to do so. A Greenpeace report from late 2025 found only two such facilities in the US, in Alabama and Missouri.
Call for Change
Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former EPA regional administrator, said: 'Accepting a plastic item for recycling is not the same as actually recycling it, and the company knows the difference.' The group recommends Starbucks switch to fiber-based cups and encourage reusable alternatives, and at minimum remove misleading labels from recycling bins.
Keefe added: 'I really believe that companies should be held accountable to their sustainability claims. Starbucks is the largest coffee chain in the world, so what they say matters.'
