Josh Brooks / PackagingNews
Which? questions coffee shops over takeaway cup recycling
Consumer group Which? has called on coffee shops to make it easier to recycle the 2.5bn takeaway coffee cups that are used each year in the UK.
In an investigation published this week, the body claims that more than half of 2,471 consumers surveyed dispose of their takeaway coffee cups in general waste bins.
Which? said that retailers’ attempts to cut the number of cups that were not recycled varied hugely and said: “While all showed they try to address the recyclability of paper cups, we thought none of them go far enough.”
Which? surveyed the efforts of five major takeaway coffee outlets: Starbucks, Greggs, Costa Coffee, McDonald’s and Caffe Nero.
Both Greggs and Costa Coffee have put recycling logos on their cups, while Costa was reported to have reduced the weight of its coffee cups. Starbucks, meanwhile, offers customers a 25p discount if they use a reusable mug for their coffee.
However, the Which? investigation concluded: “Just putting a logo on the cup does not mean to say you will be able to recycle it once outside the shop.
“More clarity is needed for consumers on what mixed-material items can be recycled in which recycling bins or facilities. And ideally it should be made possible to recycle paper cups alongside cartons.”
The takeaway cups are made predominantly of cartonboard and contain around 5% polyethylene.
David Powlson, an expert in paper recycling and principal at Poyry Management Consulting, told The Guardian: “This is great for keeping your coffee warm and the cup from going soggy, but not so great when you come to realise that most UK paper mills are unable to process paper mixed with other materials.”
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