Starbucks’ recent announcement that it will phase out plastic straws by 2020 is raising concern from disability rights groups across the country.
Following the coffee chain’s announcement on July 9 that it intends to stop offering plastic straws with iced drinks by the year 2020 in an effort to lessen their plastic pollution, several disability groups have begun to speak out against the plan, voicing their concerns that the new policy will exclude those with disabilities.
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“If you think about it, a straw, it seems so small and insignificant. But this seemingly insignificant thing just shows how little those policy makers and business owners pay attention to us, or want to get our feedback,” Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) board member and executive director of Yad HaChazakah Sharon Shapiro-Lacks told PBS News Hour. “Eliminating plastic straws can cause many people with disabilities like myself not to be able to eat or drink in a restaurant, in a cafe…it’s more than just a convenience. It is a necessity for people like us.”
While Starbucks said in a press release that the coffee chain would still offer straws made of alternative materials for those who request them, many people have spoken out about the importance of single-use plastic straws, citing that straws made of metal become a risk when used with hot or cold beverages and that paper straws disintegrate.
In an effort to bring awareness to the issue and urge Starbucks to change their new policy, several groups, including Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled and Disabled in Action and BCID, began to plan protests outside of a Union Square Starbucks location, though the protests were called off after Starbucks Global Director for Environment Rebecca Zimmer reached out to BCID. The coffee chain also released a second press release addressing the concerns of the activists.
“Starbucks offers, and will continue to offer, straws to customers who need or request them in our stores. Starbucks recent announcement about straws will not impact the ability of those who need straws to access them,” the release reads. “We take an inclusive design approach to all packaging to ensure that all customers will be able to enjoy their Starbucks beverages.”
It is not known if the straws that will be offered will be made of plastic.
Starbucks is just one of many companies making an effort to eliminate single-use plastic straws from their businesses, with companies like McDonalds, American Airlines, and Hyatt also working on plans for straw bans. This month, Seattle banned plastic straws and utensils, an action that has also been met with backlash.
