Tim Hortons Is Launching New Packaging & Testing New Cup Lids — Please Don't Disintegrate

As Canada's new ban on single-use plastics goes into effect, companies like Tim Hortons are being forced to adapt their products to conform to new regulations. For the coffee giant, this means fibrous new packaging and cutlery to replace the previous plastic mainstays.

The new wooden and fibre cutlery will roll out in early 2023, according to a December 20 press release. Tim Hortons estimates that this move will eliminate the use of approximately "90 million single-use plastics a year." Single-use plastic bags are also on their way out at Tims, which will start to offer reusable bags in January of 2023.

The company's breakfast and lunch wrapper will change in 2023, too, moving towards a design that "uses 75% less material" than the iconic wrap box. Tim Hortons estimates this change in material will save over 1,400 tonnes per year.

Vancouverites will get a chance to test another new initiative, a hot beverage lid made of plastic-free fibre that can be recycled. Tim Hortons is planning a twelve-week trial in Vancouver to test these new lids, which would then be launched across the country if all goes well. This project is occurring at the same time as another pilot, this one seeks to give Tim Hortons customers the option to buy a reusable cup that can be returned for recycling at over 60 return drop-off spots across Vancouver.

If these pilots go well, perhaps we'll see similar developments here in Montreal.