Whatta waste...

Stood in my local Starbucks the other day I couldn't help but notice the apparent waster of clean water going on behind the counter.
As well as the little rinse sink for the barista to rinse spoons next to the coffee making machine there was a tap continually running in the sink at the rear of the counter area.
I did a little experiment when I got home and figured out that the flow rate of water from the tap was about 4-6 litres a minute.
That works out at around 900,000 to 1,400,000 litres of water per year for one store.
For one tap.
This doesn't include the water used in the small rinsing sink.
Or for washing mugs and plates and other equipment.

Other coffee shops don't seem to follow this practice. As far as I have seen Costa do not.

If you take all the Starbucks stores worldwide then if they all follow this practice they must waste the equivalent of a medium sized ocean every year.

All this when some areas of the world don't have ANY water on tap.

I have written to Starbucks UK to see how they can claim to be socially and environmentally responsible with such a shocking waste of water.


2 April 08
Got a reply from Starbucks....
Thank you for taking the time to contact Starbucks Coffee Company.

We welcome feedback from our customers and I have shared your comments with the operations team for their attention.

It is not policy that the tap at the bar remain on constantly and should be turned off when not in use. As a company we are taking steps to endeavour to reduce water use in all our stores, including ensuring taps are turned off when no one is at the sink, using paper cups where appropriate to reduce the use of the dishwasher and continuing reminding partners of our commitment to the environment by minimizing water wastage.

Once again, thank you for sharing your feedback with us and for giving us an opportunity to improve our operations.

Yours sincerely
***** **********
Customer Care Specialist