Tim Hortons Previews Wooden and Fibre Cutlery for 2023

Gone are the days of single-use plastics in Canada. Tim Hortons is another company following the trend and eliminating their use of over 90 million single-use plastics each year and replacing the plastics with wooden and fibre cutlery. Beginning this year, the company will start enacting this strategy to support environmental protection and reduce waste.

Tim Hortons customers across the country can expect compostable wooden and fibre utensils to be paired with their beverage or meal of choice going forward. Lids for the Loaded Bowls will also be changed to fibre. The popular restaurant chain will switch the wrapper substance with a design that uses 75% less material. By doing so, the business is expecting to save more than 1,400 tonnes of material a year.

Recyclable and zero-plastic materials are also on the agenda for the Canadian company this year. Tim Hortons is trialling a fibre lid for hot beverages that is 100% plastic-free and recyclable. Ultimately, the objective of this twelve-week trial is to develop product alternatives to plastic which allows the lid to be repurposed and recycled much more easily.

“Through our sustainability platform Tims for Good, we’re always looking for ways, big and small, to make thoughtful choices on material and design in order to reduce and eliminate packaging and contribute to more sustainable innovation,” says Paul Yang, senior director of procurement, sustainability and packaging at Tim Hortons.

Starting in January next year, Tim Hortons will eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags in their restaurant and instead offer customers reusable bags to purchase. The restaurant chain continues to work on its pilot project in partnership with Return-It in Vancouver. The project offers guests the option of paying a deposit for reusable cups to help reduce single waste. After launching at 10 restaurants last May, the pilot project has grown considerably to include nine public bins for reusable cups and over 60 return points across the city. Tim Hortons is committed to ensuring an optimal customer experience and finding innovative, environmentally-friendly ways to do so.