On Nov. 4, Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada will stop the practice of double-cupping and will instead be offering guests a recyclable cardboard sleeve for their hot drinks.
The move is expected to eliminate the unnecessary use of more than 200 million cups per year – or the equivalent of wrapping half the circumference of the planet with Tim Hortons cups. Tim Hortons cardboard coffee sleeves are manufactured from 100 per cent recycled material and are 100 per cent recyclable.
“We understand that millions of our guests request ‘double-cupping’ at our restaurants because our coffee is always 20 minutes fresh and piping hot,” said Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer for Tim Hortons. “Most wouldn’t know the incredible benefit we can offer to Canada’s environment if they accept a hot coffee sleeve instead of a second cup.”
“This is just one part of a larger sustainability focus at Tim Hortons, especially related to our beverage cups. We are making our lids more recyclable; making our coffee cups more recyclable; we’re testing a compostable coffee cup; and have launched a strawless option for our cold beverages as well.”
Tim Hortons recently expanded a trial in restaurants in Calgary and Toronto that focuses on testing hot beverage cups made with 30 per cent recycled materials.
And in the coming weeks, Tim Hortons will launch a pilot project at select restaurants in Vancouver with an aim of introducing a new hot beverage cup with a lining that is recyclable and compostable. Tim Hortons continues to work with key stakeholders in the industry and government to ensure the cup would be acceptable within municipal recycling programs.
In February, Tim Hortons announced plans to give away nearly two million reusable cups as part of a 10-year commitment to change consumer perceptions and habits towards using reusable cups. That plan was paused due to the pandemic but will be relaunched when possible.
Other sustainability initiatives Tim Hortons has announced during this week’s Waste Reduction Week include:
Monday: Significant improvements have been made to paper napkins, which guests will see in restaurants in early 2021. The new napkins are made with 100 per cent recycled fibre and use 25 per cent less material. The change to the new napkins is expected to save 900 tonnes of paper each year.
Tuesday: Tim Hortons is taking another significant step toward cutting its use of plastics by preparing to rollout new paper-based wrappers for sandwiches and bagels that are fully recyclable, while also cutting the use of paper by 17 per cent annually. The new packaging, expected to be in restaurants in January, is estimated to reduce more than 460 tonnes of plastic over the next year. Tim Hortons also recently announced the shift to paper straws, which is estimated to eliminate the use of about 300 million plastic straws over the next year.
