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What was the coffee cup discussion? A colleague recently told me that re-usable coffee cups are about single-use plastics. I looked down at my coffee cup and f

by sambe 7y ago

What was the coffee cup discussion? A colleague recently told me that re-usable coffee cups are about single-use plastics. I looked down at my coffee cup and found it to be both recyclable and biodegradable. He told me it was about the lids. The lid was the same. Without further research, I would be a bit unsure about the cost of making a re-usable cup vs its lifetime vs biodegradable single-use cups. But despite the fact that things have already improved, I'm hearing they will be banned...

jdietrich 7y ago
The vast majority of disposable coffee cups have a plastic inner lining. This makes them impractical to recyclable, as the plastic lining must be separated from the paper shell. They're still theoretically recyclable and so can carry that label, but it's overwhelmingly unlikely that your local waste system has the capacity to recycle them. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43739043 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43739043
- sambe 7y ago
  That would not be the case for biodegradable ones, presumably - and indeed the article mentions Vegware, which I see everywhere now.
- Steve44 7y ago
  In the UK we now have the capacity to recycle all the 2.5 billion plastic lined cups we use each year. There are an ever increasing number of recycling collection points and many major companies are working to make this happen. https://resource.co/article/veolia-recycle-120m-coffee-cups-2019-12774 https://resource.co/article/veolia-recycle-120m-coffee-cups-... > However, two reprocessors have announced this year that they have the capability to recycle coffee cup waste. In March, packaging company DS Smith stated that it could recycle all the UK’s coffee cups at its paper mill in Kemsley, Kent, while on a smaller scale, paper manufacturer James Cropper launched its own trademarked ‘CupCycling’ process in May > Costa announced its aim to recycle as many coffee cups as it sells by 2020, equating to 500 million cups. The programme involves the chain subsidising a number of waste collection companies, including Veolia, to collect takeaway cups from stores (£70 per tonne collected). This subsidy aims to raise the value of coffee cups as a material in the eyes of recyclers, making it more financially viable to collect them.

by sambe 7y ago

jdietrich 7y ago

The vast majority of disposable coffee cups have a plastic inner lining. This makes them impractical to recyclable, as the plastic lining must be separated from the paper shell. They're still theoretically recyclable and so can carry that label, but it's overwhelmingly unlikely that your local waste system has the capacity to recycle them. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43739043 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43739043

sambe 7y ago
That would not be the case for biodegradable ones, presumably - and indeed the article mentions Vegware, which I see everywhere now.
Steve44 7y ago
In the UK we now have the capacity to recycle all the 2.5 billion plastic lined cups we use each year. There are an ever increasing number of recycling collection points and many major companies are working to make this happen. https://resource.co/article/veolia-recycle-120m-coffee-cups-2019-12774 https://resource.co/article/veolia-recycle-120m-coffee-cups-... > However, two reprocessors have announced this year that they have the capability to recycle coffee cup waste. In March, packaging company DS Smith stated that it could recycle all the UK’s coffee cups at its paper mill in Kemsley, Kent, while on a smaller scale, paper manufacturer James Cropper launched its own trademarked ‘CupCycling’ process in May > Costa announced its aim to recycle as many coffee cups as it sells by 2020, equating to 500 million cups. The programme involves the chain subsidising a number of waste collection companies, including Veolia, to collect takeaway cups from stores (£70 per tonne collected). This subsidy aims to raise the value of coffee cups as a material in the eyes of recyclers, making it more financially viable to collect them.