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 is a lot of confusion around how to dispose of single-use cups correctly.  Currently, single-use cups can not be recycled in standard recycling bins. If they are put in recycling bins for paper or plastic, they will cause contamination, which could then cause the recyclate (the material that has been produced from the recycling process) to be discarded.  Unless special recycling facilities are available, single-use cups are best put in general waste bins.  Do keep an eye out for specialised cup recycling bins as more venues install them to make it easier to recycle single-use cups. 

You can also #TakeItBack to a range of stores across Scotland!  Through our #TakeItBack intervention, we have worked with stores across Glasgow,  Dundee and now in Edinburgh 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 some Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, Greggs, McDonald's, Pret A Manger and Starbucks stores will accept single-use cups returned for recycling.  You can find the range of stores participating in #TakeItBack in Edinburgh in our store map, and then find the stores across the UK participating in the National Cup Recycling Scheme through their online map. 

Many businesses will make your hot drink in your own reusable cup. This cuts out the single-use cup completely! Our Reuse page has more information about ways you can #ChooseToReuse.   

Have a look at this clip from the National Cup Recycling Scheme to see what happens in the recycling process for PE lined paper cups. 

Plastic cups are commonly made from a type of plastic called polypropolene (PP), which can be identified by a recycling code 5 inside a chasing arrows triangle on the underside of the cup. 

PP cups can generally be recycled in a plastics recycling bin.  A good rule of thumb is that if the recycling point accepts plastic tubs and yoghurt pots, then plastic cups are ok too. However, if unsure, these should be put into general waste to avoid contamination.

Similar to paper cups, many major coffee retailers will take back clear plastic cups for recycling.

If the cup looks plastic but has a compostable logo on it, it should not go in a recycling bin.  Cups made from compostable bioplastics can only be recycled in the appropriate commercial composting bins, and not in recycling bins.  See the compostable cup section below. 

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 the environmental benefit of not being made of petroleum-based plastics.  However, as with all cups, it is important that they are disposed of appropriately: they must be collected separately and composted in an industrial composting facility.  

Some compostable cups are now made with a water based aqueous coating and some may be industrially or home composted (but can only be home composted under the correct conditions).  It is important to check the labelling on any compostable cup to ensure it is disposed of correctly.  

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 degrade and release 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.

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 naturally occurring 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.  These products can biodegrade into micro-plastics and may release harmful chemicals in the process. 

Polystyrene cups are not recyclable.  Cups, lids and food packaging made from expanded polystyrene are included in the single-use plastics ban that has been in place in Scotland since June 2022.  As such, you should not be finding polystyrene food and drink packaging in Scotland. 

Single-use cups are convenient and deeply embedded in our food and drink on-the-go habits. If we are to reduce cup waste, we need to have better cup recycling infrastructure, as well as having better ways to support consumers and businesses to make use of reusable alternatives and avoid the single-use items in the first place.