Starbucks offering free reusable cups. Here’s how to get one

See how the Starbucks reusable cup process works

Starbucks said it would like for its customers to use more reusable cups as the company gets away from single-use paper cups. (Credit: Starbucks)

SEATTLE - In honor of Earth Day, Starbucks is taking another step to reduce plastic waste by offering customers free reusable cups.

The Seattle-based coffee chain said the free cup coupon is for Starbucks Rewards members who use Paypal to reload their Starbucks Card or make a purchase of at least $5.

The offer runs until April 30 and the coupon will be loaded onto the customer’s Starbucks Rewards account. Customers must use the app to access the coupon and redeem it by May 7.

In addition, customers who bring in their own personal reusable cups will earn 25 Stars on their account in addition to 10 cents off their beverage.

Meanwhile, Starbucks lovers may soon see less of an iconic symbol: the white Starbucks paper cup.

The company also announced it will reduce its single-use cups bearing the company's logo and other plastics in an effort to reduce landfill waste. While the products may not go away completely, the company plans to make them less attractive to promote reusable mugs.

"We set a bold aspiration to become a resource positive company – to store more carbon than we emit, to eliminate waste and to conserve and replenish more freshwater than we use," Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer, said on the company’s website. "This aspiration included setting ambitious 2030 targets to cut our carbon, water, and waste footprints in half."

The company’s goal is to provide reusable cups by 2025. By the end of 2023, customers will be able to use their own reusable cups in U.S. and Canada.

Company leaders said their goal is not just to reduce waste but to also find better ways to manage its waste. The company wants to reduce the material used to make the hot cup and its liner in favor of "virgin paper" which is material made directly from the pulp of trees or cotton. Starbucks said the new hot cups are expected to roll out this fall in U.S. stores.

Traditional plastic straws will also be replaced with new compostable options.

Starbucks will also roll out the Starbucks Partner Waste and Recycling App, which would outline ways to reduce waste and recycle in various markets.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.