Brewing Sustainability at the Westford Starbucks

Anna Fadden started working at the in January 2006 soon after it opened. She quickly noticed a lack of recycling. With a lot of legwork, Anna was able to set up recycling for cardboard, newspapers, glass, plastic, and aluminum cans. 

Starbucks pays an additional $130 per month to recycle these items. They do it because it’s the right thing to do.

They didn’t stop there. Last spring, they started saving their coffee bags for Sustainable Westford’s Upcycle It! program. Since that time, they have saved just over 6,000 coffee bags, generating $120 for Westford schools. They also have a container for customers to drop off their Upcycle It! items.

Westford Starbucks will serve as a model recycler for other area Starbucks. The local district manager will be passing along Anna’s knowledge so that others may do the same.

In the future, Westford Starbucks hopes to have more recycling for its customers.  Anna has also looked into recycling gift cards and is in the process of tracking down an outlet for spent whipped cream chargers.

When you go to Starbucks, do your part too. If you are staying to enjoy your beverage, ask for an in-house dining mug. If you are on the go, bring your travel mug and get a 10-cent discount.

Are you a Westford business that's going green? Contact Kristina Greene at kdfgreene@msn.com to have your story featured on Westford Patch.