The latest YouGov research shows the people of London are keen to go green. A staggering 89% of Londoners would use a purpose-built bin to ensure paper takeaway cups are recycled. Half would even be willing to hold onto their cup for longer, if they knew they would pass a purpose-built bin, and 23% would go out of their way to use a purpose-built recycling bin.
Underpinned by insight into coffee cups disposal habits and with trials supported by partners such as Costa and Starbucks, Veolia’s national coffee cup solution aims to collect takeaway cups as soon as the consumer has finished their drink to reduce cup contamination and increase recycling rates.
By capturing cups before they enter the general waste stream Veolia’s coffee cup solution aims to get a higher quality of material that can be reprocessed into a new product. This is good news considering 30% of Londoners buy at least one takeaway hot beverage a week but only 14% of hot drink buyers in the Capital use a reusable cup.
The solution is now available to existing customers nationwide and to potential new customers, as part of a packaged service, and offers multiple service options. These include a specialist designed in-house recycling bin, a bulk collection option and a post back service – which is available to all business types nationally.
The most common places for hot drink buying Londoners to dispose of their takeaway cups are: ‘on the go’ e.g. train station bin, service station, on a train etc. (55%), on the high street (41%) and 34% in coffee shops (34%). More surprisingly, the ability to recycle a takeaway cup may even trump brand loyalty for up to 44% of buyers[1].
Stephen Martins, Regional Sales Manager for London, comments: “Londoners' love a takeaway coffee with hundreds of thousands of cups disposed of everyday, yet only 1% are recycled and we want to change this. We're delighted to offer three collection options to support the many people in London who want to see their coffee cups recycled and ensure our resources are kept in the loop for longer.”
Once Londoners have ‘Tipped-it, flipped-it and stacked-it’ – a process to ensure any remaining liquid is drained and the lid, sleeve and cup are separated – Veolia undertakes a further separation process to guarantee all rogue items have been removed. This is key because it will help to ensure a higher quality of material that can be reprocessed into a new product.
After the cups have been debagged, separated, checked for quality and contamination, and baled up they go on to further treatment at paper pulping facilities, which recover the fibres and separate the polymer plastic lining. Working with a number of outlets, the fibre could potentially be used to make a multitude of products such as egg boxes or cup holders given back out in stores or alternatively used in the manufacturing of cellulose-based insulation for homes.
To find out more information on Veolia’s coffee cup solution visit www.veolia.co.uk or call 0345 606 0460 and a member of our Customer Services Team will be happy to assist.
