A recent study by the environmental nonprofit Beyond Plastics has raised concerns about the recyclability of Starbucks' single-use polypropylene cups. Despite the cups being labeled as recyclable and featuring a recycling icon, none of the 36 tracked cups were found at recycling facilities; 33 were disposed of in landfills or incinerators. Starbucks, which announced in February that its cups are 'widely recyclable' in the U.S., has questioned the study's methodology but did not provide specific details. The company emphasizes that recycling success depends on local infrastructure and has committed to making all customer packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2030. Judith Enck, the president of Beyond Plastics, has urged Starbucks to stop marketing its plastic cups as recyclable and to transition to fiber-based alternatives. This shift, she argues, could represent a significant corporate policy change in reducing plastic waste. The U.S. currently has a plastic recycling rate of less than 6%, with polypropylene being particularly challenging to recycle due to the lack of processing facilities.