Tim Hortons is ending the practice of double cupping hot drinks, a move the fast food restaurant says will eliminate hundreds of millions of cups from landfills each year.
The subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International Inc. will instead provide customers with a cup sleeve, a thick paper material that protects hands from hot beverages.
B次元官网网址淪leeves are a great alternative,B次元官网网址� said Hope Bagozzi, chief marketing officer at Tim Hortons. B次元官网网址淭hey keep your hands cool but theyB次元官网网址檙e just better for the environment.B次元官网网址�
She said cup sleeves will be used by default for hot beverages like tea and espresso and can be requested for other warm drinks.
Customers who ask for a beverage to be double cupped will now be asked to consider using a sleeve instead.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e hoping the majority of guests will be OK with that,B次元官网网址� Bagozzi said. B次元官网网址淏ut it obviously wonB次元官网网址檛 transform overnight. If a guest insists on itand itB次元官网网址檚 going to become an altercation, I donB次元官网网址檛 want a team member to be put in that position.B次元官网网址�
Switching to sleeves from double-cups will save over 2,700 tonnes of cups over the next year. That's over 200 million cups.
B次元官网网址� Tim Hortons (@TimHortons)
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Public reaction on social media was mixed, with some wondering why double cupping wasnB次元官网网址檛 ended a decade ago while others decried the change and suggested double cupping was necessary for hot tea.
The company expects that stopping the practice of double cupping will save roughly 200 million cups from being tossed in the garbage every year.
Most recycling facilities in Canada donB次元官网网址檛 recycle single use paper coffee cups because of a plastic lining inside.
But Bagozzi said the company is trying to change that, and is in talks with suppliers about recyclable and biodegradable cups.
She said the challenge is to ensure the cup maintains its structural integrity.
B次元官网网址淲e want to be sure that they are safe and they donB次元官网网址檛 crumble,B次元官网网址� Bagozzi said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e come a long way and weB次元官网网址檙e very bullish with our partners about leading the way in innovation there.B次元官网网址�
She said Tim Hortons has two pilot programs coming soon, one that will test a cup with a compostable liner and another made with 35 per cent recycled materials.
B次元官网网址淎s the biggest market leader when it comes to coffee and hot beverages in Canada, itB次元官网网址檚 part of our responsibility to look at our footprint and our sustainability,B次元官网网址� said Bagozzi. B次元官网网址淭he notion of double cupping is a big deal and it catches attention but itB次元官网网址檚 just one of many things that weB次元官网网址檙e working on.B次元官网网址�
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The end of double cupping is part of a suite of changes the coffee and doughnut chain is announcing as part of waste reduction week.
In a bid to improve its environmental footprint, Tim Hortons said on Tuesday it would soon roll out new recyclable paper-based wrappers for sandwiches and bagels, eliminating of about 460 tonnes of plastic from the waste stream each year.
On Monday, the fast food chain said it plans to introduce new paper napkins that use 25 per cent less material and are made up of 100 per cent recycled fibre. The change in early 2021 is expected to save 900 tonnes of paper a year.
Tim Hortons is also phasing out plastic straws from its 4,000 restaurants across Canada.
The restaurant said last week the transition to paper straws is expected to be completed by early next year, eliminating roughly 300 million plastic straws a year.
Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press
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