Trackers Find No Proof Starbucks' 'Widely Recyclable' Cups Were Actually Recycled

A nonprofit investigation has raised fresh questions about the fate of Starbucks' in-store disposable cups after researchers said they could not confirm that any of the tracked cups were ultimately recycled.

What Happened

Beyond Plastics, a U.S. environmental group, hid 69 Bluetooth trackers inside cups placed in Starbucks store recycling bins, according to reporting by the New York Post. Of the 69 devices, 47 later reported locations. Beyond Plastics said none of the tracked cups could be verified as recycled: three reached material recovery facilities, 10 last pinged at transfer stations, 11 were recorded at incinerators, and 23 were traced to landfills.

"It's kind of stunning that they won't tell the public where this plastic is going after people dutifully make sure it's clean and put it in the special recycling bin," said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics and a former regional EPA administrator, as quoted by the Post.

Starbucks' Response

Starbucks pushed back on the group's conclusions, telling the Post that experiments which place electronic trackers inside cups do not reflect routine recycling operations. The company also noted its cold cups are made from polypropylene (No. 5 plastic), are designed to be recyclable, and carry How2Recycle's "widely accepted for recycling" designation. In February, Starbucks and Waste Management said curbside acceptance for the chain's cold cups is available to more than 60% of U.S. households.

Why It Matters

Environmental advocates warn that if single-use cups are incinerated or landfilled rather than remanufactured, they increase landfill volume, greenhouse gas emissions, and municipal waste costs. The New York City Department of Sanitation estimates the city spends nearly $500 million annually exporting waste. Beyond Plastics also reported that one tracked cup ended up at a Peekskill waste facility it called Westchester County's largest source of air pollution.

Susan Keefe, director of Beyond Plastics' Southern California program, used public company data to estimate that Starbucks uses roughly 8 million plastic cups per day. Advocates say in-store bins labeled "landfill," "recycling," and "compost" can mislead customers if much of the collected material is ultimately discarded.

Calls For Change

Beyond Plastics and allied groups are urging Starbucks to:

• Remove or revise in-store recycling visuals that may mislead customers;
• Stop making broad, unsupported recyclability claims;
• Shift from polypropylene to fiber-based cups where possible;
• More consistently enforce reusable ceramic mug policies for dine-in customers.

Advocates are also urging lawmakers to back the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act, which would require companies to reduce plastic packaging and help fund municipal waste-management costs rather than leaving them to taxpayers.

Context From Starbucks

Starbucks has said it remains committed to packaging goals. In 2020 the company pledged that all customer packaging would be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by the end of the decade. In 2024 it expanded options for customers to use reusable cups at mobile and drive-through pick-ups.

This investigation does not settle the broader debate about how widely recyclable No. 5 polypropylene cups are in practice, but it highlights a gap between on-package or in-store messaging and what may happen to waste in the real world.