Australia is getting closer to a coffee cup solution with the trial of the country's first recyclable coffee cup.
The cup, the result of a partnership between paper and board packaging manufacturer Detpak and California-based Smart Planet Technologies (SPT), will be introduced this month as part of a trial to reduce the impact of coffee cups on landfill.
Detpak general manager for marketing and innovation Tom Lunn told PKN cafes and specialty coffee roasters across Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney would be the first to test the concept.
“Businesses are very concerned about the low recycling rates of coffee cups, so we decided to work with SPT on a lining that's different to polyethylene (PE),” he says.
“PE linings prove expensive and are difficult for recyclers to separate from paperboard.”
The RecycleMe cup, he says, is easy for consumers to recycle using the existing paper and cardboard recycling stream, and provides commercial returns for paper recyclers.
These returns aren’t currently available with existing coffee cups.
The cups come in 8oz and 12oz sizes, and are being used this week as part of the trial.
Dedicated blue bins will be available at each trial location for customers to dispose of their lids and empty cups.
The cups will then be baled up and taken to a paper recycling facility for processing into material that can be turned into new paper and cardboard products.
Lunn agrees there's been a great deal of confusion amongst businesses, but this is soon to change.
“The waste stream has to have value, so if there's money in it there's no shortage of people willing to get on board,” he said.
“The new cup technology will be a great forward solution for recycling facilities as they won’t have to change their equipment or invest in special handling.
“We recognise that disposable cup waste is an environmental issue but economics are important too.
“It's not about green-washing – this is something people want to be part of.
“There is no capital investment required from the paper recycling plant and the cup minimises cost implications for businesses in handling paper cups.
“It provides commercial returns for the paper recyclers that they don’t get from the current PE-lined cups.”
The RecycleMe cup is made with a mineral-based lining which allows the lining to be easily removed during the recycling process, and 96 per cent of the cup can be recycled into new products such as paperback covers and cardboard products.
Detpak is working with collection partner Veolia to devise a long-term solution that will allow paper cups to be recycled through common paper and board recycling processes, with the aim to have RecycleMe cups available for commercial sale within six months of the trial’s completion.
Keep South Australia Beautiful (KESAB) will be providing consumers with waste and recycling education and auditing the trial program.
