Home > In Canada: Re-Usable Coffee Cup War with McDonald's

In Canada: Re-Usable Coffee Cup War with McDonald's

Source: CBC News Canada

Along with the growing popularity of coffee and drinking it on the go, there’s been a parallel increase in paper waste due to disposable cups. To deal with that, environmentally concerned consumers have suggested using reusable cups. Many coffee shops picked up the idea and are giving discounts to those who bring in their own cups.

One coffee seller has rejected the idea of reusable cups. This week a Canadian news outlet reported that McDonald’s has banned the reusable cups from its drive-thru’s and restaurants. The issue is health. The fast food chain is concerned because they cannot control the cleanliness and sanitation of mugs provided by customers. It’s possible that one customer’s contaminated cup could spread the contamination to those of others and so McDonald's has opted for the safest and most sanitary choice: the disposable cup.

Two examples of chains that use the reusable mugs are Canadian giant Tim Horton’s and Beanz Espresso Bar. Tim’s gives a ten cent discount while Beanz gives next size up for the same prize when cups are brought in by customers. A Beanz server is quoted as saying that there is no danger of cross-contamination because the servers wash their hands between customers and use disposable or fresh spoons when needed.

The comments section yielded some interesting responses from readers. They were divided on whether or not McDonald’s is right on this issue. One barista said it’s too hard to know how to measure when using the variety of cups people offer them. In other words, it’s impractical - an important point. Another reader wanted to know the scientific proof that contamination could occur from splashes etc., since the coffee isn’t hot enough to kill bacteria - due to the burn potential. (Just ask McDonald's about THAT issue!) One suggests the coffee be measured in the restaurant’s cup and poured into the customer’s cup. This is reminiscent of the way milkshakes used to be prepared; the shop used metal reusable containers and poured the shake into serving glasses. Much the same procedure could be adapted for coffee shops, with the possible exceptions of lattes and cappuccinos, of course.

Most consumers are likely torn between the health issue and the environmental concerns. However nice it sounds that servers are instructed to wash hands between customers, during busy times that will probably be ignored. There are no guarantees that every server will be scrupulous in the sanitation necessary. A Google search failed to turn up state health regs, but a former Washington state barista from a few years back said the law stipulated that only shop-provided cups could be used. This makes sense in lieu of the huge liabilities faced by food serving establishments these litigation-happy days.

So brew at home or use the disposables and drink your coffee in good health. Check below for several coffees you won’t get from a drive-thru.

PRODUCTS YOU WILL LOVE!

REVIEWS & COMMENTS

  • NO BASIS!

    Son Ton | Thu, 01/19/2012 - 15:46

    I'm a big proponent of using reusable cups for coffee. I do not see any basis for saying that contamination is an issue with using reusable mugs and cups.

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  • CUPS

    yeahyeah | Mon, 01/16/2012 - 21:44

    No barista is really going to wash their hands after handling every reusable cup. I'm fine with a few extra germs though. I notice that most baristas ask for the customer to remove their own lid though.

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  • GERMS?

    EricBNC | Mon, 01/16/2012 - 09:57


    I hand my money over with all my germs and they take that - those cup germs are not much different I suppose - Panera Bread gives a discount if you bring your own mug btw.

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  • WELL...

    jbviau | Mon, 01/16/2012 - 00:28

    I do see an issue with respect to cup size. Are employees supposed to search for this info. on every reusable cup?

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  • DISPOSABLE CUPS

    Wakeknot | Sun, 01/15/2012 - 13:42

    ruin coffee, so I can't take a companies coffee seriously if they don't offer an option of reusable cups.

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  • I CAN'T FAULT MCDONALD FOR

    hoonchul | Sat, 01/14/2012 - 22:21

    I can't fault McDonald for their stance on this issue. I feel people these days are just looking for reasons to sue.

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  • DUNKIN DONUTS

    Chamie | Sat, 01/14/2012 - 19:28

    ...has the same policy regarding reusable cups, despite the fact that they sell them. Seriously -- if you'd ever worked a drive-thru and seen the nasty cups that some people hand you for refilling, you'd understand. I've seen them open a refillable cup, dump out curdled coffee (out the window while they sit in the drive thru!) that's been sitting in their car for who-knows-how-long and tell the girl at the window "just rinse it and refill it for me". As far as the McDonald's hot coffee case goes -- the woman in question had 3rd degree burns over 20% of her body and spent weeks in the hospital having skin grafts. They originally asked McD's to pay the few thousand dollars that her health insurance didn't cover, and McD's refused. That's what they sued for -- the jury added punitive damages -- most of which were later disallowed on appeal anyway.

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  • ITS THEIR RIGHT.TO THAT BUT

    intrepid510 | Sat, 01/14/2012 - 18:49

    Its their right.to that but it is also the right for people to get their coffee elsewhere
    .

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  • UPDATE FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH

    GmanJenks | Mon, 01/23/2012 - 22:20

    In order to test this issue I took my Contigo travel mug in to the McDonalds by my office. When I ordered they said they couldn't refill my mug as it wouldn't fit under their new canisters (air pots). They did fill one of their cups and pour it in to my cup when I asked if they would do that. I don't know that they would do this for anyone but after being neighbours for 12 years we tend to recognize each other a little.

    So I do wonder if there isn't more to this story than what we thought. I can understand not wanting to have to fill a cup and dump into another cup, there would be risk of spilling and splashing on themselves as the cups aren't really designed as pouring devices. I am willing to cut them more slack than on first blush.

    G

    I really can't see how there can possibly be any concern from someone pouring coffee into a used cup. If there is a concern about cross contamination how is it allowed that any restaurant could refill a regular cup while sitting at the table. A million servers do this everyday all across N.A. McDonald's is out to lunch!!!

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