Our names are Mya and Eve and we are 11-year old students in Grade 6 attending school in Calgary. A science project of ours on single-use disposable cups revealed shocking facts and we think it’s time to act.

We surveyed 167 people from different backgrounds to know how many single-use cups they throw away. Our findings indicate that on average, 155 cups get thrown in the trash per person, per year.

We also did some research and found that 430 billion single-use disposable cups are thrown in the trash each year around the world, this is about 140,000 each second. We also found that every year, Starbucks distributes over 4 billion single-use cups to customers, which means that 1 million trees are cut down to provide the paper. Most people think that these cups are recyclable, but that’s not always true. In Canada alone, over 1.5 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away each year.

These numbers are extremely concerning to us. The waste adds to the landfill and much of it gets incinerated which contributes to climate change. We asked people to bring their own reusable mugs; however, when we look around, many people are still purchasing their coffees without bringing their own mugs.

We urge Starbucks to lead the way towards a more sustainable future. We know you can do this!

We join other organizations, including Stand Earth, and citizens from around the world, to ask you to:

Recommit to 100% recyclable cups. In 2008, you had the goal to serve a recyclable cup by 2015. That did not happen and today, billions of your cups still go straight to the garbage. The plastic lining inside your cups makes it almost impossible to recycle with regular paper. We ask you to please develop a cup that can be recycled across North America and around the world with the existing technology in recycling facilities.

Recommit to 25% reusable cups. Reusable cups are the most responsible approach, but currently, we have found that you serve less than 2% of your hot drinks in reusable mugs. Please create more incentives and engage more people in this project.

Commit to 100% recycled. Currently, 90% of the paper in each Starbucks cup is made from trees that are cut, used once, and then thrown away. We know you can change this. On the path toward 100% recycled/tree-free cups, Starbucks has the opportunity to be a leader and shift toward more sustainable fiber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Please sign this petition to support our initiative. For the sake of our forests, our climate, and the only planet we have, it’s time to #BreakFreeFromPlastic and make a #BetterCup. We love our earth, our home. Thank you!

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