What does your cup of coffee cost you? Depending on where you get your fix, you could be paying anywhere between £1 and £15 on your daily brew! But have you ever stopped to think about what these drinking habits may cost the environment? Turns out, we’re still slacking on how much we could be recycling.

Don’t coffee cups just go in standard recycling bins?

coffee cup recycling

In the UK around 7 million disposable coffee cups are used every day. Hot drinks containers may seem simple, but their complex mixture of paper and plastic (to make them heat-proof and leak-proof) results in difficulties when it comes to eco-friendly waste disposal.

Billions of these cups are used each year in the UK alone (enough to stretch around the earth five times!), however it’s estimated that less than 1% of these end up recycled. Cups left in household recycling or general outdoor bins are likely to end up in landfill, where they can take over 30 years to decompose.

In order to recycle coffee cups, a system must be in place to separate “rogue items” and retain the high value fibres that can be reused. Because coffee cups don’t make up a great amount of domestic waste, existing recycling infrastructure just won’t cut it.

So, what’s the plan?

coffee cups

Recycling points designed specifically for coffee cups are to feature in train stations, schools and hospitals in the south of England in attempts to prevent billions of cups piling up in landfill. This scheme is thanks to the new partnership between Selecta UK (a self-serve refreshment retailer) and Veolia (an environmental solutions company).

The aim is for recycling boxes to be installed around workplaces and near on-the-go machines, to then be collected and taken to Veolia’s Essex facility where they are broken down into a pulp which can be used to make new products and packaging.

These out-and-about waste stations will be launched across 17 sites, with goals of reaching 10,000 customers and recycling 200,000 coffee cups every year. It’s a small scale project in the grand scheme of things, but it highlights the potential scope of this initiative if it were to be used globally.

Take action

recycling bins

Wondering how your business can be more eco-conscious? A professional recycling service can complement your current general waste collection, saving on landfill charges and reducing your business’s carbon footprint. At Direct365 we provide all sorts of business across the UK with recycling and other waste management services.

It’s always a good idea to ensure waste is getting disposed of properly, which is why recycling bins are so important for any business. Browse of range of recycling bins and specialist bins to get an idea of what your business might need and start helping the planet today!  

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