By Chris Wack

Tim Hortons said Wednesday its restaurants in Canada will stop the practice of double-cupping and instead will offer customers a recyclable cardboard sleeve for their hot drinks.

The restaurant chain, a unit of Restaurant Brands International, said the move is expected to eliminate the unnecessary use of more than 200 million cups a year, or the equivalent of wrapping half the circumference of the planet with Tim Hortons' cups.

The new cardboard coffee sleeves are manufactured from 100% recycled material and are 100% recyclable.

Tim Hortons recently expanded a trial in restaurants in Calgary and Toronto that focuses on testing hot beverage cups made with 30% recycled materials.

The company said that in the coming weeks it will launch a pilot project at select restaurants in Vancouver with an aim of introducing a new hot beverage cup with a lining that is recyclable and compostable.

In February, Tim Hortons announced plans to give away nearly two million reusable cups as part of a 10-year commitment to change consumer perceptions and habits toward using reusable cups. That plan was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic but will be relaunched when possible, it said.

Tim Hortons on Monday said that in early 2021 it will begin using new napkins that are made with 100% recycled fibre and use 25% less material. The change to the new napkins is expected to save 900 tons of paper each year.

Write to Chris Wack at chris.wack@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

10-21-20 0652ET