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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
by jdietrich 8y 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 8y agoThat would not be the case for biodegradable ones, presumably - and indeed the article mentions Vegware, which I see everywhere now.
- Steve44 8y agoIn 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.