Tim Hortons to test plastic-free hot drink lids at select Ottawa locations
Tim Hortons restaurants in Ottawa and Gatineau will begin testing plastic free, fibre hot beverage lids, the company announced on Monday.
The coffee giant says the project will last for up to six weeks as part of a broader effort to reduce single-use plastics. The company says it's part of a move toward a "guest-friendly" alternative to plastic lids that are easier to compost or recycle while accounting for a better drinking experience.
"We're excited to ask Ottawans to help us test this new, plastic-free and recyclable lid for Tim Hortons hot beverage cups. We're known for serving Canada's favourite coffee, so it's important that we develop a best-in-class solution for our guests," said Paul Yang, the senior director of procurement, sustainability and packaging for Tim Hortons, in a statement.
"We've worked hard on developing a fibre lid that feels like our current lids but is plastic-free. These fibre lids are part of our five-year journey to develop more innovative solutions for all our packaging and we're excited to have our guests in Ottawa join us in this test."
The company says the test is using an "improved" version of a similar fibre lid that was trialed in select Tim Hortons restaurants across Vancouver in early 2023. The move helped reduce the use of more than 3.3 million plastic lids, the coffee chain said.
A similar test was conducted in Prince Edward Island earlier this year and stirred up controversy, after customers complained they could taste the plastic lids, with some saying they "tasted a little bit like cardboard."
Tim Hortons said in February that they would take the feedback and refine the design.
It's not the first time the chain has changed its lids - The chain got rid of its traditional brown lids that had been a staple of its drinks for over 20 years in 2019.
The company has also introduced wooden and fibre cutlery in its stores as part of a wider plan to help reduce the use of single-use plastics.
The new lids are expected to be seen at the following Ottawa locations starting this week:
- 50 Rideau Street Ottawa
- 161 Laurier Ave Ottawa
- 187 Bank Street Ottawa
- 800 King Edward Ottawa
- 330 Queen St Ottawa
- 263 Bank Street Ottawa
- 275 Slater St Ottawa
- 200, Promenade Du Portage Gatineau
- 99-99 Rideau Street Ottawa
- 100 Metcalfe Street Ottawa
- 200 Sparks Street Ottawa
- 90 Elgin Street Ottawa
- 525 Somerset Street West Ottawa
- 171 Slater Street Ottawa
- 423 Cumberland St Ottawa
- 145 Jean-Jacques-Lussier Private Ottawa
- 1000 Airport Parkway Private Ottawa
- Ottawa International Airport Ottawa
- 800 King Edward Ave Ottawa
With files from CTV News Atlantic
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University while clashes break out at UCLA
The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between duelling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
WATCH Moose strolls through Fredericton
A Fredericton woman is awe-struck after seeing a moose stroll down a city street on Tuesday.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.