H O W T O S TA R T C U P R E C Y C L I N G
#1MORESHOT J U LY 2 0 1 9
CONTENTS BACKGROUND................................................5 Which cups can be recycled?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lids and liquids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 How does it work?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Collection companies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Why recycle paper cups?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . 1 1 SETTING UP CUP RECYCLING..........................15 The steps to success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 Step 1: Assess your site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 Step 2: Assess your costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 Step 3: Engage the right people. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9 Step 4: Set up the service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 Step 5: Communicate to colleagues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 Step 6: Measure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 Step 7: Tell the story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 C O N T A C T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7
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8 million coffee cups are thrown away every day in the UK
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ABOUT THIS GUIDE Did you know that we bin nearly three billion paper cups every year in the UK, but only around 4% are currently recycled? Paper cups currently can’t be recycled in most mixed recycling bins as they’re made from paper with a plastic lining to make the cup waterproof. Luckily there is a solution! Separated-out cups can be recycled at five UK sites. In 2017 Hubbub and a coalition of businesses, Simply Cups and the City of London Corporation ran a trial called the Square Mile Challenge which proved that paper cup recycling is feasible. We collected and recycled five million cups in twelve months! We interviewed some of the businesses that started cup recycling as part of the Square Mile Challenge, one year on, to find out what had worked and what had not gone well, and what advice they’d give to someone who wanted to set up their own cup recycling. This guide draws on their insights as well as our broader experience to help you set up successful cup recycling at your site.
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BACKGROUND
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WHICH CUPS CAN BE RECYCLED?
Paper cups of any size
Paper cups from any shop
Compostable cups Compostable or biodegradable cups will not decompose as intended unless they are sent to an industrial composting facility.
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LIDS & LIQUIDS
• Lids may be recyclable in the plastic or mixed recycling bin. Please check with your waste management provider. • Any remaining liquid can be poured into the liquid reservoir built into the design of many paper cup recycling bins, or drained down a sink. • Plastic stirrers are often not recyclable. Wooden stirrers can be composted, and disposed of with food waste.
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HOW DOES IT WORK? 1. You introduce a coffee cup recycling scheme 2. Employees bin their paper cups in specific cup recycling bins 3. The cleaning team empties the recycling bins and transfers the paper cups to a larger collection bin back of house 4. Your waste contractor picks up the sacks or bags of collected paper cups and transfers them to their processing site, where they are processed in one of the following ways: • Cups are pulped, the plastic lining is removed, and paper fibres are recovered for manufacture into new cardboard products. OR • Cups are shredded and processed into a resin, which is mixed with recycled plastics to create new plastic products
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C O L L E C T I O N C O M PA N I E S More and more companies now offer paper cup collection and recycling. Their requirements and services do differ, so it’s worth finding the one best suited to you.
Company
Telephone
Online Form
B&M (Bagnall and Morris)
0330 123 4100
Click here
Biffa
0800 307 307
Click here
Paper Round
0207 407 9100
Click here
Bywaters
0207 001 6000
Click here
Cawleys
0845 260 2000
Click here
DHL Envirosolutions
01455 205 400
Click here
First Mile
0800 612 9894
Click here
Forge Recycling
0345 505 0905
Click here
Grundon
Area specific
Click here
Helistrat
0239 312 1314
Click here
Printed Cup Company
0120 044 9900
Click here
Select Environmental Services
0118 975 9000
Click here
Simply Cups
0808 168 8787
Click here
Suez
0800 083 0504
Click here
Veolia
0345 606 0460
Click here
What Rubbish
0117 901 2530
Click here
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“Different waste management companies have different requirements. Some won’t take brown cups or double walled cups so we had to start buying different cups.”
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W H Y R E C Y C L E PA P E R C U P S ? According to our research and experience, introducing a paper cup recycling service at your site has many benefits. You will: • Increase your site’s recycling rate • Show leadership on a high-profile issue that employees care about • Start a much broader conversation about reducing waste • Encourage employee, client and partner behaviour change towards recycling and reusable products • Improve existing recycling by removing the cups which cause contamination • Be able to create a closed loop system by buying products made from the recycled paper cup material for use in your office, canteen and beyond
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“The Square Mile Challenge proved that businesses can successfully recycle their paper cups. Its success was due to the combination of accessible recycling facilities and an engaging communications campaign. Four million cups later we know that people are willing to recycle their cups if you give them the opportunity.” Jeremy Simons, Chairman, The City of London Corporation’s Environment Committee
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“In 9 months’ time we collected 298,800 paper cups and diverted them from landfill. Recycling paper cups has been a great way to reduce our waste!” Hannah Glaser, Assistant Property Manager, Broadgate Estates
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“It is a good step towards reducing single use plastics generally and sparked wider conversations and questions about other habits and facilities” “It spurred the caterers to rethink all their single use items, so they have now taken disposable cutlery behind the counter and you have to ask for it and pay a 20p levy to use it. They have brought in proper cups and crockery and 20p levy on disposable cups. The caterers are now asking when all single use items will be banned.” Square Mile Challenge participant
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SETTING UP CUP RECYCLING
THE STEPS TO SUCCESS The seven steps to success: 1. Assess your site 2. Assess the costs 3. Engage the right people 4. Set up the service 5. Communicate to colleagues 6. Measure your success 7. Tell the story
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STEP 1: ASSESS YOUR SITE
There are a few questions to consider before introducing paper cup recycling: • Your location
If your site is outside of a major city, please check whether there is a paper cup collection service offered in your area.
• Volume of cups used
You’ll need to have an idea of the number of cups disposed of to get quotes from waste contractors.
Businesses told us that using special cup bins, good signage and getting the location right all make a big difference to how well the scheme performs. Putting cup bins next to recycling bins is a good idea so there’s somewhere to put the lids. Locating bins in open areas with clear sightlines gives people more chance to read and understand the signs.
• Budget
Do you have budget for the recycling service, recycling bins and communications?
• Installation
Are you able to install new paper cup recycling bins in operational areas, like the office or factory floor, as well as in communal areas such as waiting areas, café or canteen?
• Make it part of something bigger
It’s a good idea to consider introducing a new recycling stream such as paper cups as part of a wider revamp of waste management at your site rather than as a standalone project. Office moves or refurb projects are an ideal time to bring in new recycling systems.
• Communication
Can you communicate effectively to employees and visitors? The launch of a new recycling stream requires a communications and behaviour change campaign that will successfully encourage employees to start recycling their cups.
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STEP 2: ASSESS THE COSTS
All of the businesses we interviewed said that installing paper cup recycling is a small cost that they’ve absorbed because they see it as the right thing to do. To assess your costs: • Get in touch with your waste contractor. Find out if they collect and recycle paper cups, and the cost of the service.
Here are some to consider:
Cup stacking bin with a place for liquids
Click here
Wybone Eco Cup
Non-stacking cup bin with compartments for lids and liquids
Click here
Wybone Deluxe
Cup stacking bin with compartments for lids and liquids
Click here
Envirocup XL recycling bin
• Alternatively, contact one of the providers previously listed. • Count the number of recycling bins you’ll need.
Some businesses found the bins that stack the cups tricky because if people leave the lids on or put them the wrong way up, they can fill up very quickly. Clear communication can help with this. Also think about the space that you have available.
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STEP 3: ENGAGE THE RIGHT PEOPLE Engage everyone, from senior management to the cleaning team, and ensure they are both well-informed and supportive of the project : • Buy in from senior management is key to ensuring a recycling ‘culture’ is created from the very top. • The facilities team are key to the operational set up, providing access to install recycling bins across site and a collection point back of house. • The cleaning team will be required to empty the new bins and transfer sacks of paper cups to a collection space back of house. They are also helpful in removing small amounts of contamination. • The communications team are key to collaborate with on employee and visitor engagement. • Appoint key people as recycling champions. For example, one business gave PAs & secretaries this role. The facilities team would give information to the champions who then passed it on to their teams. They would also give feedback to facilities to make sure everything ran smoothly.
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STEP 4: SET UP THE SERVICE
• Once all stakeholders on site are on board you’re ready to set up the recycling service. Set up a collection and recycling service with your waste contractor, create an agreement including frequency of collections • Purchase recycling bins and plan where they’ll go • Decide on a launch date to introduce the paper cup recycling to colleagues and visitors • Communicate the service to your colleagues and visitors
In a multi-tenanted building: • Buy the bins through the service charge so it’s not a cost to the tenants • Have a central bin for the cups in the building’s main waste area • Make sure the bins are bright, colourful and prominent so that they stand out
• Be patient and keep an eye on how it goes. People may not get it straight away. There are likely to be teething problems so it’s a good idea to have a way for people to give feedback and raise any issues they have. Have people ready to tackle these issues quickly in the first few weeks. Expect that you will have to tweak the system.
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“It may not work straight away, so don’t be disheartened if it doesn’t: people need time to get used to it, work it out, and then they will just get on with it.”
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S T E P 5 : C O M M U N I C AT E T O COLLEAGUES All employees should know: • Why you are recycling cups. Inform your staff about the amount of paper cups used daily in the UK, or even better, at your site. Updating them with how many have been recycled from your site each month or week will encourage them too. • That paper cups only get recycled when placed in the paper cup recycling bins, after separating the lid and disposing of any left-over liquid. Contamination is one of the biggest challenges that businesses said they face. • Where to find the recycling bins.
Businesses we talked to all agreed that simple, clear communications to make people aware of the new scheme and how to use it properly are essential in order to make paper cup recycling a success. People need reminding too, so do a refresh campaign every so often.
• What happens to the paper cups when they are recycled. Can you provide some examples of products made from recycled cups to show people the value of the recycled cups? • Building the new service in to an office move or other period of change can also be helpful as people are prepared to learn new behaviours at this time. 22
New staff don’t know how it works, so we have to keep reminding and informing people.” “Launch it with big fanfare to make sure people know. Then boost with more info throughout the year for example, during green week”
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STEP 6: MEASURE
• Make sure your waste contractor can give you data on the quantity of cups you’re collecting so you can feed back to colleagues. • Analysing your data in the first months after launch will ensure you can make any tweaks needed on site to maximise the impact of your service and embed this new behaviour with people on site. • Request monthly collection data from your collection service and communicate the success to employees. • Talk to the cleaning team to gain insight into usage and contamination patterns. • Circulating a staff survey can provide useful insights into employee and visitor awareness of the recycling facilities and their usage. • If contamination or usage rates is an issue, create a focus group of employees to get user feedback.
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STEP 7: TELL THE STORY Setting up a successful paper cup recycling scheme is something to be proud of! Celebrate success internally and externally and inspire others.
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HUBBUB CAN HELP We know that getting people to change habits is difficult, and it’s important to explain the wider context to build understanding. It’s also essential to make it easy and convenient for people to do. We have taken the tried and tested communications materials from the Square Mile Challenge and created a pack to support your communications campaign to colleagues and visitors. Our communications pack contains all the materials you will need, including: • Key messages and briefing document for your team • Poster designs (print & digital, various sizes) • Point of sale ‘table-talker’ leaflet designs • Social media plan • Social media copy and image cards • Copy for internal launch e-mail This pack will ensure your launch is engaging and effective. All materials are generic and can be amended to fit your brand. The pack is priced at £750. Please email enterprise@hubbub.org.uk to order.
GET IN TOUCH
enterprise@hubbub.org.uk
This guide was published in July 2019. To the best of our knowledge all information was correct at time of publication.
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