Dunkin’ Donuts is known for many things: its extremely standard yet nonetheless heartwarming donuts, being a ubiquitous staple on nearly every American street corner (especially in the Northeast), coffee that is consumed mainly for caffeine utility as opposed to taste, and the receptacles in which this coffee is served.
For the uninitiated, Dunkin’ Donuts is also long known for its giant styrofoam cups. Truckers, commuters, travelers, and locals alike came to expect their seeming liters of coffee served in these puffy objects, replete with creme and sugar. While these cups have become synonymous with the donut company’s brand, they are also very wasteful. So it’s good news that Dunkin’ has announced it will end using styrofoam cups by 2020, according to the Chicago Tribune.
I say this with a tinge of sad nostalgia–I have drunk more hot chocolate and watered-down coffee out of those cups than I wish to count. Still, this is progress–and it’s good to see a company like Dunkin’ Donuts, which has more than 11,000 coffeeshops around the world, take action to reduce its environmental footprint.
All the same, let’s pour one out for the styrofoam cups. And by “one out,” I mean scalding, flavorless coffee.
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