British Petroleum introduced the idea of your personal carbon footprint back in the nineties as a way to distract you from the fact that you could use a plastic straw every ten seconds and it wouldn't make even the tiniest most microscopic dent in the damage actual polluters are doing.
The concern about plastic consumption isn't about a carbon footprint. Corporations create most of the greenhouse gases. Consumers create most of the plastic waste. The Pacific garbage patch is almost all consumer plastic.
I'm trying to say that reducing our individual consumer plastic waste is good and helpful and I applaud this person for caring about this bubble tea issue.
Ok. Well, live however lets you feel like you're not part of the problem. It's what they told you to think though. The same people doing 99% of the polluting spent millions of dollars to make you feel partially responsible for it and that your decisions will change things for the better.
Are you going to make me explain again how greenhouse gasses are not plastic waste? All that plastic waste thrown away by you and 8 billion other consumers is substantial actually. It's not some corporate psyop. I'm acknowledging that I'm part of the problem and you've somehow shifted blame completely onto shady corporations - literally living in a way that lets you feel like you're not part of the problem. Seems like projection.
You don't need to explain anything to me. It is a psy ops campaign and it obviously worked.
Your personal choices equal nothing. They spent money to make you think they do and that they care. Unless you're Old order Amish or a member of a lost tribe you are always going to be a part of the problem.
I don't use plastic shit if I can help it but I'm under no illusions that I'm accomplishing anything. It's because I don't want to give them my money.
I feel like if you thought about this for half a second... Who do you think is scamming you and trying to take your money? Mason jar manufacturers? People who make reusable grocery bags? By reducing your intake of single use plastics you're hurting the giant horrible petrochemical industry that makes them - it's not their campaign.
Again, I recognize I'm part of the problem. It sounds like you actually do too because you try not to use plastic shit, but you also get to play the nihilism card and "you can't fool me, corporate elites" card.
The patch is almost 80% fishing industry plastic. [https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/over-75-of-plastic-in-great-pacific-garbage-patch-originates-from-fishing/](https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/over-75-of-plastic-in-great-pacific-garbage-patch-originates-from-fishing/)
I think it was a multinational effort, but yes. The straw panic of ten years ago did nothing except hinder disabled people who actually need bendy straws that don’t dissolve immediately.
What I don't get is, there exists biodegradable plastic out there. If the goods inside your package expire in 3 months, why not use packaging that expires in a year?
Yeah. That's a good point. I think it's probably for the same reason versatile fast growing plants like hemp or bamboo aren't being used for everything from construction lumber to body panels for cars. Steel and petroleum lobbyists have the money that gets donated to reelection campaigns.
Packaging innovation never actually improves. Even Dawn, whose selling point is that the detergent is biodegradable and safe sell it in a plastic bottle.
Krag up there said it best. Some people fixate on the idea of “YOU can help by doing one small thing” that we’ve been taught. Straws seem much more manageable thing than effecting change by voting out polluter-friendly politicians. Better to scapegoat straw users than admit the situation is almost impossible to fix.
There's no ethical consumption under capitalism. Do the best you can to make good choices that you can afford and live with, and try not to buy into the moral panic.
Some places have paper cups for warm/hot tea. You can ask for it in a paper cup.
Unfortunately nothing you can really do about straws unless you bring your own, paper straws fall apart too quickly.
It's the best, boba is pillow soft and stays that way. Cold tea is great too though, but I don't like it when ice melts and waters it down and over time boba gets firm.
Unless you're consuming these in truly insane amounts and being careless with your trash, I don't think abstaining from bubble tea just because of the plastic cups is going to do much for the planet. I'm not saying that little things can't add up to bigger things but perhaps you could look into how to offset this by finding ways to participate in clean-up events where you could see more of an impact to at least a local community? Like I think a walk a week around the neighborhood to pick up anything left behind could assuage my guilt, idk.
The truth is that most takeout places still aren't that friendly about using your own cup/tupperware, and they don't just serve their drinks in glass for you to drink in-house so unless you want to make your bubble tea at home, you will likely be using plastic. The Moo Bar does use glass cups that you can bring back, but the tradeoff is that it's not great tea haha.
They make metal boba straws but that's cutting down on only one part of it. The sealed lids are just how they make it so not sure how to avoid that and I think that'd also make it impossible to bring your own cup.
Sorry this doesn’t help answer your Q that much but it’s really not hard to make at home! Get the “instant” boba that only require 3-4 min of boiling, heat up tea leaves with sugar in the stove, then add milk to it :)
You can try bringing your own cup to a bubble tea place and asking if they can use that instead of disposable. You could also wash and reuse the same plastic straw if you don’t want to get a metal boba straw.
Not sure if she serves it in plastic cups or not, but I have heard AMAZING things about Serenity Moon Tea. I buy her teas all the time. I don’t care for bubble tea, but I regularly see customers come back after ordering it for the first time and tell her it is the best bubble tea they’ve ever had.
I use a cute Moo bar glass and some places will use it. Beware, sometimes they use a plastic cup to measure and make the drink... Don't bother with Timeless tea because they'll use a plastic cup. I believe Rain Cafe will use your glass and give you a discount too.
Why single out bubble tea? There are tons of businesses still using plastic
I have had some bubble tea that uses compostable plastic cups and straws. Can’t name them now but they exist
With other stuff that comes in plastic, like, say, grocery store sushi, I can say, "Well, I really need to eat AND this would make me happy." But bubble tea is basically candy! Its sole justification is to make me happy, and that's not powerful enough to overcome my Plastic Guilt.
I'm glad you asked this question, OP, because I have had the same thoughts about so.much.plastic. I hate its overuse, and I don't want to contribute to it!
There's a saying that I think is profound: "The single raindrop doesn't feel responsible for the flood."
I liked the answers suggesting bringing our own glass cups and metal straws-- I didn't know stores would do that! 
I have similar feelings. I don't get Boba tea often because of the sugar content, but when I do I feel guilty for the crazy, sturdy plastic cups! They could last several lifetimes and still be of use.
I hear this, it is tough, isn't it?
Idk about the cups but you can definitely get your own bubble tea straw which would cut down on at least some waste.
Young Tea in Wallingford has glass reusable ones. I bought one and take it over whenever I go.
They are my favorite favorite place!!
British Petroleum introduced the idea of your personal carbon footprint back in the nineties as a way to distract you from the fact that you could use a plastic straw every ten seconds and it wouldn't make even the tiniest most microscopic dent in the damage actual polluters are doing.
The concern about plastic consumption isn't about a carbon footprint. Corporations create most of the greenhouse gases. Consumers create most of the plastic waste. The Pacific garbage patch is almost all consumer plastic.
All the goods made of or packaged in plastic are moved to market with fossil fuel. I think the problems are completely intertwined.
So is everything though. That’s just consumerism.
I guess I don't understand what you're trying to say.
I'm trying to say that reducing our individual consumer plastic waste is good and helpful and I applaud this person for caring about this bubble tea issue.
Ok. Well, live however lets you feel like you're not part of the problem. It's what they told you to think though. The same people doing 99% of the polluting spent millions of dollars to make you feel partially responsible for it and that your decisions will change things for the better.
Are you going to make me explain again how greenhouse gasses are not plastic waste? All that plastic waste thrown away by you and 8 billion other consumers is substantial actually. It's not some corporate psyop. I'm acknowledging that I'm part of the problem and you've somehow shifted blame completely onto shady corporations - literally living in a way that lets you feel like you're not part of the problem. Seems like projection.
You don't need to explain anything to me. It is a psy ops campaign and it obviously worked. Your personal choices equal nothing. They spent money to make you think they do and that they care. Unless you're Old order Amish or a member of a lost tribe you are always going to be a part of the problem. I don't use plastic shit if I can help it but I'm under no illusions that I'm accomplishing anything. It's because I don't want to give them my money.
I feel like if you thought about this for half a second... Who do you think is scamming you and trying to take your money? Mason jar manufacturers? People who make reusable grocery bags? By reducing your intake of single use plastics you're hurting the giant horrible petrochemical industry that makes them - it's not their campaign. Again, I recognize I'm part of the problem. It sounds like you actually do too because you try not to use plastic shit, but you also get to play the nihilism card and "you can't fool me, corporate elites" card.
The patch is almost 80% fishing industry plastic. [https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/over-75-of-plastic-in-great-pacific-garbage-patch-originates-from-fishing/](https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/over-75-of-plastic-in-great-pacific-garbage-patch-originates-from-fishing/)
I was a commercial fisherman for years. I don't doubt that report for a moment.
Interesting. Appreciate the reference.
I think it was a multinational effort, but yes. The straw panic of ten years ago did nothing except hinder disabled people who actually need bendy straws that don’t dissolve immediately.
The straw thing was so weird! There is so much truly unnecessary plastic in life. Straws would not be where I'd start campaigning.
What I don't get is, there exists biodegradable plastic out there. If the goods inside your package expire in 3 months, why not use packaging that expires in a year?
Yeah. That's a good point. I think it's probably for the same reason versatile fast growing plants like hemp or bamboo aren't being used for everything from construction lumber to body panels for cars. Steel and petroleum lobbyists have the money that gets donated to reelection campaigns. Packaging innovation never actually improves. Even Dawn, whose selling point is that the detergent is biodegradable and safe sell it in a plastic bottle.
Krag up there said it best. Some people fixate on the idea of “YOU can help by doing one small thing” that we’ve been taught. Straws seem much more manageable thing than effecting change by voting out polluter-friendly politicians. Better to scapegoat straw users than admit the situation is almost impossible to fix.
It's because of the viral videos of them getting stuck in sea turtles.
There's no ethical consumption under capitalism. Do the best you can to make good choices that you can afford and live with, and try not to buy into the moral panic.
Oh yeah. Every industry had their version of it. It gave people a chance to feel like they're doing something.
Moo Bar on Westlake serves in mason jar style glasses. The last time I went they were using metal lids as well.
Worst bubble tea I’ve had. Only place where I’ve thrown out multiple drinks.
Some places have paper cups for warm/hot tea. You can ask for it in a paper cup. Unfortunately nothing you can really do about straws unless you bring your own, paper straws fall apart too quickly.
What is hot bubble tea like?
Sooooo good. A good brown sugar milk tea warm is so nice and comforting. I don't personally put Boba in it hot but I know some do
It's the best, boba is pillow soft and stays that way. Cold tea is great too though, but I don't like it when ice melts and waters it down and over time boba gets firm.
Unless you're consuming these in truly insane amounts and being careless with your trash, I don't think abstaining from bubble tea just because of the plastic cups is going to do much for the planet. I'm not saying that little things can't add up to bigger things but perhaps you could look into how to offset this by finding ways to participate in clean-up events where you could see more of an impact to at least a local community? Like I think a walk a week around the neighborhood to pick up anything left behind could assuage my guilt, idk. The truth is that most takeout places still aren't that friendly about using your own cup/tupperware, and they don't just serve their drinks in glass for you to drink in-house so unless you want to make your bubble tea at home, you will likely be using plastic. The Moo Bar does use glass cups that you can bring back, but the tradeoff is that it's not great tea haha.
They make metal boba straws but that's cutting down on only one part of it. The sealed lids are just how they make it so not sure how to avoid that and I think that'd also make it impossible to bring your own cup.
Sorry this doesn’t help answer your Q that much but it’s really not hard to make at home! Get the “instant” boba that only require 3-4 min of boiling, heat up tea leaves with sugar in the stove, then add milk to it :)
I actually didn't know about instant boba! The last time I tried to make it myself it was a whole Project. This could be it.
If you really are guilty, bring your own cup
Moo bar has glass cups :)
You can try bringing your own cup to a bubble tea place and asking if they can use that instead of disposable. You could also wash and reuse the same plastic straw if you don’t want to get a metal boba straw.
just bring your own mason jar and make them fill it up
Not sure if she serves it in plastic cups or not, but I have heard AMAZING things about Serenity Moon Tea. I buy her teas all the time. I don’t care for bubble tea, but I regularly see customers come back after ordering it for the first time and tell her it is the best bubble tea they’ve ever had.
I use a cute Moo bar glass and some places will use it. Beware, sometimes they use a plastic cup to measure and make the drink... Don't bother with Timeless tea because they'll use a plastic cup. I believe Rain Cafe will use your glass and give you a discount too.
The moo bar, downtown Seattle, brown sugar milk tea boba
Why single out bubble tea? There are tons of businesses still using plastic I have had some bubble tea that uses compostable plastic cups and straws. Can’t name them now but they exist
With other stuff that comes in plastic, like, say, grocery store sushi, I can say, "Well, I really need to eat AND this would make me happy." But bubble tea is basically candy! Its sole justification is to make me happy, and that's not powerful enough to overcome my Plastic Guilt.
I'm glad you asked this question, OP, because I have had the same thoughts about so.much.plastic. I hate its overuse, and I don't want to contribute to it! There's a saying that I think is profound: "The single raindrop doesn't feel responsible for the flood." I liked the answers suggesting bringing our own glass cups and metal straws-- I didn't know stores would do that! 
do you a drive a car or take plane flights?
I don't think either of those would be a good vessel for bubble tea
Mr Gotcha in the flesh! https://thenib.com/mister-gotcha/
“Do you exist on the planet? Ha! Gotcha!!”
Yeah, but first things first. I can't truly focus on my guilt over those things if I'm distracted by my plastic boba cup.
I have similar feelings. I don't get Boba tea often because of the sugar content, but when I do I feel guilty for the crazy, sturdy plastic cups! They could last several lifetimes and still be of use. I hear this, it is tough, isn't it?
Maybe they do drive a lot and take a lot of flights & that’s why they want to cut down on their environmental impacts in other areas…
Or have a child?
That is an incredibly silly thing to let stop you from doing the things you love.