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Activists: Starbucks wastes water by leaving taps running

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | MNaanes@am-ny.com

October 7, 2008

Starbucks locations around the city keep tap water running throughout the day, following a company policy that environmental advocates decry as wasteful.

The coffee shops keep a small sink device called a "dipper well" running to keep utensils used by baristas sanitary between use. Company policy, which applies to Starbucks worldwide, requires water in the well to be running at a low stream during operating hours.

"It doesn't take an ecologist to tell you that this is an awful waste of water a precious resource," said Katherine Nadeau, water and natural resources program associate with Environmental Advocates of New York.

"I'm sure that there are [other options] and I hope that Starbucks takes this very seriously and finds other alternatives. Drinking water isn't a renewable resource and to be pouring it down the drain non stop all day long is horrific."

The city's health code does not require dipper wells for any establishment, but if they are used -- as it is commonly in eateries that serve ice cream -- they must be running.

It is unclear how much water Starbucks pours down the drain at the chain's approximately 188 New York City outlets, which have varying store hours and likely varying streams of continuous water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that a bathroom faucet, which may have a heavier stream than a dipper well, runs at 2 gallons a minute.

A company spokeswoman Monday said that in the past year Starbucks has been looking into more environmentally sound ways to rinse off spoons baristas use to make coffee drinks. Two alternatives, using an ice bath or eliminating spoons altogether, were tested out and failed, she said, and the company is currently looking into using dishwashers.

"We definitely acknowledge that this is an issue and we are taking immediate action to resolve it ... and looking for solutions that will meet our needs, and our primary need is safety and health," said spokeswoman Tara Darrow.

"The challenge for us is to balance water conservation with customer safety."