The paper cup recycling challenge
Disposable paper cups are part of daily life across the world, enabling a convenient and safe way to enjoy our refreshing drinks wherever we are and while being “on-the-go”. Being made of up to 95% virgin fibre coming from sustainably managed forests, they are easily recyclable, but in practice the overwhelming majority of used cups are discarded in general waste meaning future recycling opportunities are restricted and uncertain.
Collection Channels
We are working together with municipalities, businesses, consumers and packaging recovery organisations to address this challenge via the following collection channels.
1. Pre-segregation
The Cup Collective has already proven that paper cups can be collected from consumers free from contamination and therefore at the requisite quality to be recycled as a segregated material stream in all types of paper mills.
As part of our work, we have identified both customer-led and employee-led systems which can be implemented at site to achieve this outcome.
Whilst each system has its own advantages and disadvantages, both enable the collection of paper cups stacked, which significantly reduces volume and in turn, collection costs.
For 12oz Paper Cups
Collected Loose
90 Cups Per Sack
50 Cups Per Stack
Collected Stacked
450 Cups Per Stack
80% Volume Reduction = Reduced Disposal Costs
There are further benefits from implementing a dedicated cup collection system at-site:
- Reduces contamination in other targeted recycling streams
- Reduces number of times bins need to be emptied
- Reduces liquid in other bins and spill risks from split sacks
- Reduces space required for waste storage back of house, particularly relevant for retail sites operating on small footprint
The Cup Collective will continue to support the pre-segregation of paper cups by:
- Sharing best-practice for at-site collection
- Leveraging further opportunities for backhaul via supply chain partners
- Aligning and/or partnering with other source segregated collection schemes
- Demonstrating cost reduction opportunities in countries where collected volumes can be offset against Extended Product Responsibility fees and/or local taxes
2. Post-segregation
Given the increasing ability of technology to mechanically sort paper cups from a co-mingled packaging waste stream, the Cup Collective will further explore opportunities for post-segregation to achieve the at-scale recycling of paper cups and other fibre-based packaging.
The Cup Collective will continue to investigate the post-segregation of paper cups by:
- Assessing the technical viability of different systems (e.g digital watermarking, artificial intelligence) to accurately segregate paper cups at the required yield
- Establishing the commercial viability of each system when operating at-scale
- Working downstream with the waste management industry and/or upstream with supply chain partners and brands to seek investment to build the required infrastructure
3. Co-mingled
Based on the ability of paper cups to meet the required specification for acceptance at standard mills, The Cup Collective will further explore opportunities for inclusion within existing domestic and commercial paper and cardboard collections.
The Cup Collective will seek the incorporation of paper cups within existing paper and cardboard collections for recycling at standard mills by:
- Recommending that paper cup manufacturers adopt as best practice the CEPI Recycling Test Protocol to demonstrate the recyclability of their products
- Collaborating with standard mill operators to conduct large scale trials to assess the impact on yield and quality
- Working with municipalities and industry to implement at-scale and co-mingled collection systems to demonstrate the benefits of incorporating paper cups