Reddit refuge, escentric engineer and serial hobbyist.
Most compostable food plates and containers are made water resistant using PFAS chemicals which can leech into the food. I steer away from them as much as practical.
Think about it this way, many Starbucks are in strip malls or developments where they dont own the property. There is consolidated waste management for the site and the property manager handles it, its out of their control. This is 100% reality, my wife used to work in commercial real estate.
I think the problem comes in with the deceit. They have recycle bins even if they don’t recycle and its out of their control. They’re lying to the customer, that is the crux of the problem.
Make a massive terrarium