UK confused over cups

UK confused over cups

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

New research from a consumer advocacy organization in the U.K. has found widespread confusion among coffee shop goers regarding where they can dispose of the 2.5 billion paper cups they use each year.

More than half of people asked in a survey conducted by Which? Conversation [1] dispose of their paper cups in the general waste bin. Eight in 10 respondents think that they can dispose of their cups in paper and cardboard recycling facilities, although it's likely to be rejected during the recycling process due to the polyethylene liner.

Which? shared its finding with coffee chains and found that their responses to the problem vary considerably, noting Starbucks' goal to make all their cups recyclable or reusable by 2015 [2]. Which? also noted that "while some of their actions are heading in the right direction, other coffee chains think it's enough to stick a logo on the cup and hope we'll know what to do."

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