It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte season. Now you can get one without all the plastic waste.

Say what you will about how it seems to happen earlier and earlier every year, but Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is officially here, which for some people, marks the end of the summer. And this year, Americans (and Canadians!) have the option to enjoy their Pumpkin Spice Lattes without a side of plastic waste. 

Earlier this year, Starbucks announced that it is their new store policy to allow people to bring clean, reusable cups from home, even for mobile and drive-thru orders. They also offer a ten cent discount to anyone who brings their own cup. If people start bringing reusable cups from home, it will significantly cut down on the amount of single-use plastic cups and lids that become trash once the drink has been consumed. 

Every day, the world produces an astronomical 3.5 million tons of solid waste, roughly 12% of which is plastic. An estimated 36% of that plastic is used in packaging, including products widely used in the restaurant and take-out industry designed to be used once and then thrown out. This plastic waste is having a devastating impact on our environment and public health.

The good news is that Starbucks isn’t the only business trying to figure out ways to deliver its products without wasteful plastic packaging. A generation of new businesses in the retail and food service industries are working to tackle the root causes of plastic waste by creating business models that minimize the use of single-use plastic packaging or eliminate it altogether. 

You can read more about these businesses in our report, “Refill, Return, Reimagine: Innovative Solutions to Reduce Wasteful Packaging.” 

These new business models are where we need to be headed to reduce plastic pollution and waste in general. In order to encourage businesses to keep moving away from single-use products and packaging, consumers need to take advantage of these opportunities to reduce waste– and encourage the businesses that haven’t yet made these changes to get on board. 

So, next time you’re heading out to get a coffee, don’t forget to bring your reusable cup!