Tim Hortons® to eliminate an estimated 300 million plastic straws from restaurants in Canada over the next year by transitioning to paper straws in early 2021
- Tim Hortons welcomes the federal government's work on eliminating harmful single-use plastics
- Almost 90 restaurants in B.C. are already providing guests with paper straws
- It's estimated that the full transition to paper straws will eliminate around 300 million plastic straws from Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada over the next year.
Tim Hortons is in the process of introducing paper straws in its 4,000 restaurants in Canada and plans to complete the transition from plastic by early 2021.
Almost 90 Tim Hortons restaurants in and near Vancouver have already eliminated the use of plastic straws. It's estimated that the full transition to paper straws will eliminate around 300 million plastic straws from Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada over the next year.
"We take seriously our responsibility to help contribute to a cleaner Canada and we know our guests are eager to support us on our mission to reduce waste, encourage the use of reusable cups and dishes when it is safe to do so, and recycle and use recyclable materials," said Hope Bagozzi, Chief Marketing Officer.
Tim Hortons welcomed the federal government's announcement on Wednesday detailing a plan to eliminate harmful single-use plastics. The following chart details the progress Tim Hortons has already made on the single-use plastic items the government has identified as priorities to eliminate:
Plastic straws
| Will be eliminated by early 2021, keeping around 300 million plastic straws from Tim Hortons restaurants in Canada over the next year
|
Plastic stir sticks
| Already eliminated last year, with an estimated impact of eliminating 168 million pieces of plastic annually
|
Plastic bags | Use limited to bulk orders, already eliminated in locations including Vancouver, Victoria and Newfoundland and Labrador. Will be eliminated in all restaurants in 2021
|
Plastic cutlery
| Testing of compostable cutlery is ongoing |
Six-pack rings
| Not used by Tim Hortons |
Hard-to-recycle food containers | There is limited use of black plastic food containers at Tim Hortons for some catering orders. We will transition to a more recyclable container in 2021
|
In addition to phasing out plastic straws, Tim Hortons launched a new strawless lid for iced cold beverages last year, which was estimated to remove 90 million plastic straws out of circulation annually. Meanwhile, the latest hot beverage lid introduced last year is made from polypropylene, a material that is 100 per cent recyclable and accepted in 95 per cent of curbside recycling programs across Canada. The lid continues to be rolled out to restaurants across the country.
A number of other sustainability initiatives at Tim Hortons restaurants will be announced soon.
About TIM HORTONS®
In 1964, the first Tim Hortons® restaurant in Hamilton, Ontario opened its doors and Canadians have been ordering Tim Hortons iconic Original Blend coffee, Double-Double ™ coffees, Donuts and Timbits® in the years since. Over the last 55 years, Tim Hortons has captured the hearts and taste buds of Canadians. Tim Hortons is Canada's largest restaurant chain operating in the quick service industry serving over 5 million cups of coffee every day with 80% of Canadians visiting one of nearly 4,000 Tim Hortons in Canada at least once a month. More than a coffee and bake shop, Tim Hortons is part of the Canadian fabric and guests can enjoy hot and cold specialty beverages – including lattes, cappuccinos and espressos, teas and our famous Iced Capps™ – alongside delicious breakfast, sandwiches, wraps, soups and more. Tim Hortons has more than 4,800 restaurants in Canada, the United States and around the world. For more information on Tim Hortons visit TimHortons.ca.
SOURCE Tim Hortons
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