This Coffee Cup Will Rot Away (As Promised by Starbucks)

Last week, Starbucks began trialing its new compostable paper cups in several cities, in a first step towards entirely replacing its non-recyclable single-use ones.

The move comes two years after the company announced it would offer $10 million to whoever could develop the most suitable compostable coffee cup. It’s finally chosen its winning BioPBS-lined cup this year, and is testing it out to make sure it lives up to consumer standards.

“It is with great intention that we move forward with highly collaborative and innovative work to bring both recyclable and compostable cups to scale around the world,” says Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of Starbucks.

The compostable coffee cups can currently be found in Starbucks locations across London, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver.