Australian paper cup recycling program Simply Cups has been officially recognised as an Alternative Destination under the Australian Recycling Label (ARL), giving consumers the ability to recycle paper cups at one of the 1500 cup collection locations around the country.
Currently, paper cups, including coffee cups, cannot be recycled in traditional kerbside recycling, and as a result, are sent to landfill.
The ARL provides guidance to consumers about which bin packaging should be placed in, and includes Alternative Destination options for specialised recycling programs, such as Simply Cups.
All paper cups – including coffee cups, soft drink cups, and Slurpee cups – will soon be able to carry the ARL. Arrangements for this to happen will be finalised later this year.
“We are delighted to have received ARL recognition for Simply Cups. It started in 2017, and now has grown to more than 1500 collection points nationally,” said Rob Pascoe, managing director at Closed Loop Environmental Solutions, which run the Simply Cups program.
“Around half of these collection points are accessible to all members of the public, via our partnership with 7-Eleven, and an increasing number of shopping centres and supermarkets.
“We also have hundreds of office buildings, schools, hospitals, and construction sites providing cup recycling at their workplaces.”
Cups recycled through the Simply Cups program are given a second life in a variety of products made in Australia, including asphalt, lightweight concrete products, and as a plasterboard substitute.
Recognition of the Simply Cups program as a valid recycling solution, via the ARL program, is seen a boost to the expansion of the ARL, which is becoming a trusted guide to provide consumers with accurate recycling instructions.
“7-Eleven came on board as the Pioneering Partner for Simply Cups in 2017 because, as Australia’s second largest seller of takeaway cups, we wanted to help provide a recycling solution for the cups,” explained Angus McKay, CEO at 7-Eleven.
“Through our partnership with Closed Loop, we have helped save more than 30 million cups from landfill, and we look forward to this number increasingly dramatically now that cups can carry the ARL, and help guide consumers to accessible recycling points, such as the ones in most 7-Eleven stores.”
The ARL is an evidence-based label that provides easy to understand instructions about how to correctly dispose of all parts of a product’s packaging. It ensures that when recycled correctly, materials can be reused again in the future.
The ARL is managed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and requires recycling organisations to verify that their packaging is recyclable, and demonstrate that there is a sufficient network of recycling points that are easily accessible to the majority of the population.
It also requires that the solution is available for all brands and types of coffee cups.
“APCO has been collaborating with government, packaging manufacturers, retailers and recyclers to address the recycling confusion prevalent among Australia consumers through the ARL program,“ said Chris Foley, APCO CEO.
“The 2022 Consumer Insights Report revealed that the ARL helps Australians to recycle more, and that they want to see it on more packaging.
“The Simply Cups program for coffee cups is a fantastic initiative, and we are delighted to be able to provide the public with clearer guidance and greater opportunities to recycle these products after use.”
Closed Loop will continue to explore additional innovative applications for recycled cups, as well as other challenging packaging items.
