Ahh, Starbucks… many of us need our daily dose. For the most part, we associate Starbucks with trying to do good things — recycled heat sleeves, cups using less plastic, recycled materials, eco-friendly products — but it turns out they are wasting quite a bit of water according to environmentalists in the UK. We’ve all seen it before: There is a little mini-sink where they put spoons and other items that get reused and there is a small stream of water continuously streaming through. If anyone has had to collect dripping water from an air-conditioning unit of any kind, you know just how much a little water can accumulate over time. Naturally, the wacky environmentalists would cause an uproar.

In defense of Starbucks, the company says it is necessary in order to meet sanitation needs. The constantly flow of fresh, clean water washes away bacteria and other toxins that would otherwise accumulate and potentially cause health hazards. Starbucks also says it meets U.N. standards and is actually not using that much water in terms of the necessity for it. They have heard the environmentalists and may appease them by finding other ways of sanitation, such as a dishwasher or perhaps even a steamer. What do you think? Is it a perfectly reasonable sacrifice to make in order to prevent customers from getting sick? Or can Starbucks achieve the same results using less wasteful methods?

[Via BBC]