WhataWaste, Whataburger

Americans throw away 25 billion foam cups every year. Whataburger should lead by example in Texas and stop the use of foam cups to protect our waterways.

Americans throw away 25 billion foam cups every year. From the coffee cup on our way to work, to the lid we used, or the straw we were given, we’ve created a consumer culture where we can use something for a few minutes and throw it away. Much of this plastic trash, 8.3 million metric tons to be precise, ends up in our oceans every year. 



Nothing we use for a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our environment for hundreds of years.  Polystyrene, or what is commonly known as Styrofoam, never biodegrades - it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to start to break down. Environment Texas Research and Policy Center is working to protect Texas waterways and wildlife by eliminating pollution from polystyrene.


For the sake of our environment and our future generations, we are working to convince Texas restaurants, like Whataburger, to phase out foam cups and take out containers.



Whataburger has an opportunity to lead by example and influence other restaurant chains, as one of the most iconic brands in Texas. We submitted 53,000 petitions to Whataburger in November, and they have expressed that they are considering viable alternatives that will keep drinks cold for their customers. However, they have yet to respond with a timeline or action plan to phasing out the use of their foam cups. We need to capitalize on the momentum we have from their response and make sure they prioritize this effort.

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