A leading paper manufacturer said it was deeply disappointed that the Government has decided to pull back from a mandatory cup takeback policy.
The scheme would have forced food businesses to take back single-use coffee cups and recycle them – but Defra announced it would not be going ahead.
Defra said the previous government’s plan would have cost £52 million.
James Cropper, based at Burneside, near Kendal, developed the world-first technology to recycle disposable paper cups on a commercial scale with the CupCycling process.
It said it had created a supply chain by partnering with waste management companies, coffee chains and restaurants. It added: “This enables cup waste to be turned into beautiful papers, for example, working with Selfridges to take their used coffee cups and use the reclaimed fibres to produce their iconic yellow shopping bags.”
Rob Tilsey, fibre operations group leader at James Cropper, said: “It is hugely disappointing to hear that the UK and devolved governments have decided not to proceed with the mandatory cup takeback policy.
“It was hoped that the scheme would increase recycling rates from 2.8% to approximately 40% – a huge increase considering there are an estimated 3.2 billion cups in circulation in the UK each year.
“At James Cropper, we have the capacity to recycle up to 750 million PE-lined cups a year, and currently, we are nowhere near that. It’s not the recycling of the cups that’s the problem – all paper cups used on the UK high street could be recycled – it’s the collection of the cups that is preventing progress.
“The takeback policy would have increased the dedicated collection points needed to separate single use cups from general refuse, making it easier for the public to recycle their cups. And it would have helped with ‘coffee cup confusion’, educating consumers and café staff on which cups can be recycled and how.
“But, despite the setback, we’re calling on the industry to keep up the momentum.
“We are making great strides with cup collections from Biffa, Veolia, National Cup Recycling Scheme, Cup Collective and CupRound and we are really keen to hear from smaller and more localised waste merchants too.
A”nd while we push for news from Defra on further reforms, we urge the general public to take their used cups (from any outlet) to McDonald’s, Costa Coffee, Pret and Caffè Nero. They’ll end up with us in Cumbria where we’re committed to giving both the fibre and the PE-liner a second life.”
