Recycle

Research suggests over 388 million single-use cups are used in Scotland each year. At best, 4% of these cups are recycled. The rest end up as waste: in landfill, the incinerator or as litter.

Recycling your single-use cup allows for the materials from which it's made to be recovered and reused, rather than wasted as litter or in landfill.

However, there are many different kinds of single-use cup out there and a lot of confusion around how to dispose of them correctly.  Currently, single-use cups are not suitable for standard recycling bins. If they are put in recycling bins for paper or plastic, they will cause contamination, which could then cause the recyclate to be discarded. Unless special recycling facilities are available, single-use cups are best put in general waste bins. 

You can, however, #TakeItBack!  Through our #TakeItBack campaign, we have worked with a range of stores across Glasgow and Dundee where you can take any brand of plastic lined single-use paper cup to be recycled.  Many stores throughout Scotland are part of the National Cup Recycling Scheme, and many Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, Greggs, McDonald's, Pret A Manger and Starbucks stores will accept single-use cups returned for recycling. These businesses will also make your drink in your own reusable cup to cut out the single-use cup completely.  

Plastic cups are commonly made from a type of plastic called polypropolene (PP,#5). Although technically recyclable, not all recycling companies will process them. 

Often, plastic cups must be collected separately. Similar to paper cups, many major coffee retailers will take back clear plastic cups for recycling.

Otherwise, a good rule of thumb is that, if the recycling point accepts plastic tubs, then plastic cups are ok too. However, if unsure, these should be put into general waste to avoid contaminating the recyclate.

Cups made from compostable bioplastics can only be recycled in the appropriate commercial composting bins.

Polystyrene cups are not recyclable and are one of the items included in the single-use plastics ban that has been in place in Scotland since June 2022. 

Compostable cups are commonly paper cups that have a polylactic acid (PLA) lining layer for water proofing. This is a compostable bio-plastic made from plant sugars such as corn starch.  These types of cups offer some environmental benefits, assuming that they are disposed of appropriately: they must be collected separately and composted in an industrial composting facility.  

If there is no access to industrial compositing facilities, used compostable items should be disposed of in general waste.  If they end up in landfill they will likely end up degrading anaerobically and releasing methane, just like everything else. They should not be put in with plastic or paper recycling, as they will cause contamination.

Certified compostable items must meet certain specifications around how they biodegrade, what they biodegrade into and how long the process takes. They do not contain petroleum-based materials.

Biodegradable

Although the terms 'compostable' and 'biodegradable' are often used interchangeably, they do not carry the same meaning.

Biodegradation is a natural process where materials are broken down by microorganisms. However, this can take a long time and the by-products will not necessarily be harmless to the environment. Petroleum-based plastics such as polyethylene (PE) can be made 'biodegradable' with the use of additives.

The fact is that single-use cups are convenient and deeply embedded in our take-away habits. If we are to reduce cup waste we need both better cup recycling infrastructure and better ways to support consumers and businesses to make use of reusable alternatives.