Tim Hortons suspends use of reusable cups due to coronavirus concerns

On Friday, Tim Hortons announced that it will not be accepting reusable cups to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

In the statement, the company announced that it would use the “temporary approach” after receiving feedback from customers and the franchise owner according to Global News.

“Though health officials have not recommended any changes to current procedures, after listening to our restaurant owners and comments from our guests, we are going to pause on accepting reusable cups at this time,” the company said in a statement.

The company added that it will also be “sourcing extra gloves, hand sanitization gel and other essential cleaning materials should we need them in the coming months.”

The company has almost 4,000 stores throughout Canada and is taking extra precautions after more cases begin to emerge in Canada. The move comes after Starbucks announced a similar decision on Wednesday.

Tim Hortons will also be suspending the distribution of close to two million reusable cups that it was planning to give to customers starting March 10 to begin the company’s annual Roll up the Rim season.

“For any guest that brings a reusable cup to our restaurants and purchases a hot beverage scanning their Tims Rewards card or app, we will honour the three digital rolls described in our campaign, however, the guest will be provided their beverage in a recyclable paper cup,” the statement continued.

More companies such as Second Cup Coffee and Starbucks are beginning to join the trend.

Since March 5 there have been 45 confirmed cases of the virus which has now surpassed 100,000 cases worldwide.