The Paper Cup Recycling Issue
Every day, paper cups provide us with a convenient and safe way to enjoy refreshing drinks wherever we are and while being ‘on-the-go’.
However in the UK, less than 1% are collected for recycling after use.
Our mission is to change that, by increasing the availability of proven cup collection infrastructure and services that ensure a much more circular outcome for these desirable high quality fibres.
Our Solution
The co-cre8 Paper Cup Recycling Scheme enables all participants in the paper cup lifecycle to collaborate towards a common objective, that being to collect and recycle the equivalent weight of paper cups that our Members place on the market.
- Membership scheme open to all organisations
- UK wide collection coverage with solutions to suit all budgets & volumes
- All paper cups used for hot & cold beverages are accepted
- Effective & customisable cup collection units, made in the UK
- Use of sack tracking system to provide exact weight of cups collected
- Online member portal providing per site & consolidated collection data
- To be registered as a DEFRA Take Back Scheme (when registration opens)
Compliance with UK Mandatory Paper Cup Take Back Legislation
Pending further clarification from DEFRA, we intend to register to become an official compliance scheme under the proposed UK Mandatory Paper Cup Take Back Legislation due to commence in 2025.
We understand that sites filling paper cups at the point of sale who have more than 10 full-time (or equivalent) employees will be obligated to:
- Install a dedicated paper cup collection bin
- Report on the weight of paper cups sold (2 x per annum)
- Report on the weight of paper cups recycled (2 x per annum)
- Submit data to DEFRA either:
- Directly – subject to a per site registration fee (£tbc)
- Via a registered Take Back Scheme
Join Us
Scheme membership is available in the following categories:
1 – Users
Obligated* & Non-Obligated sites that fill paper cups at the point of sale
*Note that DEFRA registration fees will be passed on to obligated sites from 2025
- Access to UK wide collection service
- Expert guidance on how to implement cup collection at site
- Invitation to biannual webinar
- Secure web portal providing per site & consolidated collection data
- Marketing and communications pack
- Rental opportunities for co-cre8 range of cup collection units
- Compliance with UK Mandatory Take Back legislation (obligated sites)
2 – Supply Chain
Beverage brands, manufacturers and distributors of paper cup
- Sales & marketing support to promote service to customers
- Company listing on website and in all relevant publications
- Invitation to biannual webinar
- Authorisation for use of the scheme logo – in line with brand guidelines
Why co-cre8?
- We previously pioneered paper cup recycling in the UK and internationally
- We currently manage The Cup Collective (www.thecupcollective.eu), an industry led initiative to increase paper cup recycling across the EU to an industrial scale
- We work collaboratively with our customers and understand that there is no ‘one size fits all’
- Our management team collectively has over 80 years experience in the waste management and recycling sector
- We are THE paper cup recycling experts