Social media has mixed reactions to Starbucks’ new eco-friendly lids

Starbucks is getting rid of plastic straws in all of its stores in an effort to be more eco-friendly. But some people on social media seem to be skeptical about this.

On July 9, Starbucks announced that they are planning to completely eliminate plastic straws in all of their stores by 2020. Instead, they plan to switch over to their newly designed strawless lids, which are reminiscent of sippy cups.

These lids will replace most of the cold cup lids, except for on the Frappuccino, as these beverages still need straws to be enjoyed. However, Starbucks said that although they will be using straws for these drinks, they will be made out of either paper or another more sustainable material.

While all of this certainly sounds good for the environment, people on social media have had questions and complaints. Whether it is discussing the fact that people will now be drinking out of what is essentially an adult version of the sippy cup, or just unhappy by the idea of losing straws entirely, there were plenty of comments made about this move by the company.

Then there were the questions people had regarding this news. One of the big questions stems from the idea that while Starbucks is planning to eliminate plastic straws in favor of these new lids; they will still be using plastic in order to make these sippy-style lids.

In fact, in a response to one of the tweets about the material being used for these new lids, the company explained that they are switching to a recyclable plastic known as polypropylene. They also explained that the problem with plastic straws is that they tend to be too small for the industrial machines used in recycling.

There were plenty of Twitter users who questioned how changing out the lids and straws would make a difference or even why Starbucks isn’t trying other things to make an impact like teaching people not to litter or throw plastic into the oceans.

Still, others were upset by the fact straws are being eliminated, as they like using straws to drink their cold beverages. Some Twitter users even pointed out that there are people who need to use straws because of sensory issues or other disabilities.

However, while it seems as if many Starbucks customers are less than impressed with the company’s new lids or the decision to get rid of the straws themselves, there were still plenty who approved of what the company is doing.

Of course, one user even pointed out the irony of getting rid of plastic straws when the lids that are replacing them are still plastic, as are the cold cups themselves.

Unsurprisingly, it seems as if customers are split over Starbucks’ decision to get rid of their plastic straws in favor of the new lids with their sippy-style drinking area. However, for the most part, it sounds like the company is moving in the right direction in terms of being more eco-friendly.

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For some people on social media, Starbucks is doing the right thing when it comes to trying to be more environmentally conscious. While it might be a little while before all the stores switch to the new lids, customers will slowly find the way they enjoy their favorite beverages shifting as the company works toward being more eco-friendly as a whole.