New Simpler Recycling legislation is coming April 2025.
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Coffee Cups Recycling Collection

Yes, that's right: different from popular belief, coffee cups can be recycled!

Coffee cups recycling collection for your business

With approximately 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups used in the UK each year, equating to around 7 million a day, recycling them has never been more important!

First Mile offers a pay-as-you-go sack collection service to help you get rid of any coffee cup waste your business produces.

Simply order our sacks (each capable of holding 250 cups stacked inside each other), and we will come and collect them at a time that suits you best.

Plus we offer lots of great service extras such as a 24/7 support, an online customer portal where you can order more sacks, industry-leading carbon reporting and more.

How does coffee cups recycling work for my business?

Sack collections

Order your sacks from our website, and once full, leave them on the kerb for collection. Price includes cost of collections. Need more sacks? Order more via your online account.
from
£1.00

How does pricing for coffee cups recycling collection work?

Sack collections

The price shown for our coffee cup recycling sack service is per sack (+VAT).

Sacks are sold in quantities of 50 on a pay-as-you-go basis with no contract required.

 

 

 

The upfront cost includes the cost of collection and recycling of materials, documentation and service extras, with no hidden costs.

Got regular quantities to recycle? You can also set up a regular schedule if needed in our Customer Portal or check out our Return and Recycle Coffee Cup boxes.

What can go in Coffee Cup Recycling sacks?

Coffee cups

Please keep out of Coffee Cup Recycling sacks

Lids
Napkins
Stirrers
Compostable cutlery
Need display instructions?
Download poster

How are coffee cups recycled?

Recycling coffee cups used to be a problem because of the plastic lining, but luckily, technology has moved on.

We collect your used coffee cups in sacks, each one holding up to 250 cups, that are then baled in our sorting facility before being sent to a paper factory in the North of England that uses a specialist process to recycle coffee cups.

The cups are first washed and pulped, which separates the plastic lining from the card. The remaining card fibres are used to make new paper products, such as bags, cardboard or notebooks, while the plastic is used as green energy to fuel the papermaking process.

This use of all the materials ensures your disposable cups are fully recycled, and nothing goes to waste.

Why use First Mile for Coffee Cup Recycling?

Easy switch from your current business waste provider

Flexible business waste and recycling collections up to 3 times a day, 7 days a week

Amazing support available 24/7/365 from special commercial waste collection team

Service Extras, like compliance certificates, weighing and data, and posters.

Coffee Cup Recycling FAQs

Why should I recycle coffee cups?

Despite 2.5 billion coffee cups being used in the UK every year (around 7 million a day), only 1% of them are actually recycled. That’s just 25 million, or less than 4 days’ worth! Start increasing that number today by ordering our sacks to use in your workplace, and we guarantee not a single cup will end up in a landfill.  

Do I have to recycle coffee cups?

Currently, there is no obligation for your business to recycle coffee cups, but that will change soon. New regulations will come into place in 2025 mandating businesses selling filled single-use cups with a minimum of 10 full-time employees to recycle disposable cups.  

Will my business have to do anything in particular?

Yes. The legal requirements will be to provide a visible bin to collect cups, before reporting the weight of the cups sold and recycled. You will also need to register your business with your local environment regulator or compliance scheme.

Therefore, get ahead of the curve and start recycling your coffee cups today with First Mile!  

Do you offer coffee cup recycling near me?

Our coffee cup recycling service is available in London and Birmingham as well as nationwide, where you can order sacks over the phone or by using your customer portal.

Who needs coffee cups recycling?

If you're a café, bar or restaurant, or if you have a lot of coffee enthusiasts in your company, it’s likely that disposable coffee cups are part of your daily waste. Since these need to be disposed of in a responsible manner to avoid them ending up in landfills, we recommend setting up a coffee cup recycling service as soon as possible.  

Not sure what you need?

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