By Brian Kirkpatrick, Texas Public Radio News
A handful of protestors turned out in three Texas cities Monday to ask San Antonio-based Whataburger to stop using styrofoam cups.
Members of the environmental groups Environment Texas and Care 2 delivered a petition with 53,000 signatures to the San Antonio headquarters of the burger chain.
The petition urges Whataburger to stop using the cups in all 10 states the franchises are located. The protestors said styrofoam cups can sit for thousands of years in landfills, litter roadways and waterways, and are a threat to wildlife when mistaken for food.
Protestors also turned out at Whataburgers in Corpus Christi and Austin, where Daniel Ramirez said it's time for the company to act.
"We choose with our dollars and we do love Whataburger,” he said. “We just do wanna represent the fact that these changes are very much necessary and at the end of the day it's a grass root momentum that we need to get everybody on board for, and I think there are some changes that are very suitable for everybody in this related cause."
The groups said McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts announced plans in the past year to stop using styrofoam cups.
Whataburger released the following statement:
“We continue to look at cup alternatives that keep drinks at the right temperature but we have a lot to consider from a quality and supply perspective when meeting our customer expectations. We will share any updates if we have news to share. In the meantime, we continue to urge customers to properly dispose of our cups.”