Starbucks wastes resources

Starbucks coffee has, for years, been pouring millions of gallons of pure clean water down the drain.

According to an article in a British newspaper last October, the coffee behemoth has a policy to keep a tap, known as a dipper well, running non-stop with clean water at every one of its more than 10,000 outlets. This ridiculous waste of pure water adds up to more than 6.2 million gallons a day – which is enough water to refill an Olympic pool every 83 minutes.

The company, which claims to have green credentials, told the British publication that the dipper well was essential to keep health standards up and bacterial growth at bay. But the company has been throwing away the most vital natural resource needed in our world.

Even with the tap at a “slow flow,” it still accumulates more than about a half gallon a minute, enough for one African to survive a day in extreme drought.

When the Campus Times asked Los Angeles-based Starbucks spokeswoman Annie Austerlitz about the water waste, she replied in an e-mail:

“We recognize that the amount of water used by the dipper well is unacceptable and we have been working since 2007 to find a solution that balances the water conservation with the critical need for customer safety. In 2009, we began implementing new operational alternatives tho the dipper well system across the globe … These methods provide a significant reduction of our overall water use.”

Though she did not quantify the reduction in wasted water.

We would hope any clean water Starbucks did or still does send down the drain might be recycled. Like other recyclable products in the store.

Wait. Most local Starbucks don’t even have recycling bins.

The company’s merchandise comes in recyclable containers and could easily be recycled, but according to local Starbucks workers, it is routinely dumped in the garbage.

Austerlitz told us 73 percent of U.S. and Canada stores recycled “at least one or more items,” during fiscal year 2007. And she added that some stores are located in “markets where recycling is greatly hampered.”

The company prides itself on using post consumer product and a “shared planet” initiative to encourage greener, more community-minded practices.

Shouldn’t such a company be a leader in recycling, calling for recycling in all of its stores, including those in markets where such services are less than readily available?

Imagine how many of our precious resources would be spared if all Starbucks stores across the globe recycled most of their paper and plastic products. If they placed bins in every store and encouraged customers to recycle as well. At very least, we believe Starbucks should immediately place recycling bins in each of its Southern California stores that do not currently have them. After all ours is a market where recycling is not at all hampered.

There are individuals who write the company to complain about their drinks not being made right, why not also write about how Starbucks’ waste of resources is unacceptable?

Starbucks began as a coffee house that cared about its community and the world. It grew into a multibillion dollar corporation. It is time for Starbucks to take a stand – and be a leader in caring for the environment.

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Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the Campus Times Editorial Board.

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