It's Time To Break Up With The Double Cup, Says Dunkin'

PROVIDENCE, RI — It's a Southern New England tradition: ordering an iced coffee from Dunkin', regardless of the season, and asking for an extra hot cup to use as an insulating sleeve, keeping hands dry and warm. But that will all soon end, as the company is on track to eliminate all polystyrene foam cups by the end of the year.

The love for the double cup knows no bounds, whether you're in Portsmouth, Peabody or Providence. Where exactly the trend started is unclear, though Boston 25 News, citing "Dunkin' folklore," said it all began in Rhode Island.

"Dunkin' is officially moving away from foam, and, as the foam goes away, so goes the locally popular practice of 'double-cupping,'" the company said in a statement.

On Friday, the Canton, Massachusetts-based company announced that it will completely phase out foam cups in New England locations by Dec. 1.

"We are tracking to replace foam cups at all Dunkin’ restaurants in New England with our more sustainable double-walled paper cups. Just ahead of this milestone, our brand is taking a stance against double cupping and encouraging customers to ‘break up with the double cup,'" said Dunkin' COO Scott Murphy. "As we look ahead to how our brand can continue to serve both people and the planet responsibly, we wanted to proactively address this preventable habit that can contribute to unnecessary waste."

The shift to more sustainable cups was announced in May, when the company said it would be transitioning to double-walled paper cups instead, using paperboard certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard.

"We are on target to meet our goal and are projected to have over 70 percent of our system converted by the end of 2019," Dunkin' said in a statement at the time.

Patch Editor Jimmy Bentley contributed to this story.