Starbucks Introduces Environmentally-Friendly $1 Reusable Cups: Brilliant or Bad Idea?

As part of their plan to be more eco-friendly, last week Starbucks rolled out $1 reusable mugs. Paper cups are still available for free but the company hopes to significantly reduce their environmental waste by cutting down on the number of paper cups making their way landfills. Long ago, Starbucks announced that they wanted to serve at least 25% of their drinks in reusable cups by the year 2015. However, the company is now aiming for a much more modest 5%. This goal seems attainable considering that in 2011 the company served 2% of their drinks in reusable cups.

Since 1985 Starbucks has provided a 10-cent discount to customers who bring their own reusable cups. With this policy still in place, the $1 mugs will pay for themselves after 10 uses. So far, Starbucks has tested the program with success in the company’s hometown Seattle as well as other parts of the Pacific Northwest. However, as this region is more environmentally friendly than most, it will be interesting to see how the program plays out in the rest of the country.

What do you think SodaHeads? Are Starbucks’s $1 reusable plastic cups brilliant or a bad idea?