John,

Coffee and a donut are sweeter when they don't come with a side of garbage.

Dunkin' hands out plastic and paper cups to millions of customers every day, and while some might get recycled, many end up in trash cans or as litter on the sidewalk.

If more customers could bring their own cups each day, it would save a ton of waste.

Tell Dunkin': Agree to refill reusable cups.

Dunkin' switched from using polystyrene foam cups to paper cups for hot drinks in their stores in 2020 -- a big step away from the harmful chemicals and wastefulness of polystyrene foam.1

But many paper cups are coated in a plastic or wax coating that prevents them from being recycled or breaking down naturally, plus, they're usually topped with a plastic lid, too. The plastic cups used for cold drinks are single-use, so after only a few minutes, that cup will end up in the trash where it will never break down.

In the United States, we produced an estimated 110 million tons of paper and cardboard waste in 2019. Approximately 56% of it went to the landfill, 6% was incinerated, and 38% was recycled.2

PIRG supporters like you know that the best way to reduce waste is to avoid single-use products in the first place. Send a message to Dunkin': Agree to refill reusable cups and help reduce waste and pollution.

There are many cases when single-use waste could be avoided, and our morning cup of joe is one of them.

Reusable coffee cups and containers are readily available, and for many coffee shops, customers bringing in their own cup is commonplace. That tells us that people understand the waste problem at hand and want to make a difference -- but company policy may need an update.

Dunkin' has shown that it cares about the environment, and we celebrated when it got rid of polystyrene foam containers. Now Dunkin' can take the next step by allowing people to bring their own reusable cups at every location.

Together, we can help convince Dunkin' to reduce the waste sitting in landfills, trash cans, littering our streets and floating in the oceans. Add your name today.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. "Farewell to Foam: Dunkin' Completes Global Transition to Paper Cups," Dunkin' Donuts, May 11, 2020.
2. Marissa Mcnees, "New study highlights recovered paper market value lost to landfills," Recycling Today, December 22, 2023.

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