‘Britain’s first’ plastic-free takeaway cup launched
“Britain’s first” fully plastic-free and recyclable takeaway cup was launched in partnership with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) on 2 December.
The ButterflyCup is initially being unveiled at WWT centres across the UK. Unlike traditional takeaway cups, the cup contains no plastic laminate, uses plant-based inks and due to its all-in-one design does not require a plastic lid.
The ButterflyCup is initially being unveiled at WWT centres across the UK
Tommy McLoughlin, founder and CEO of ButterflyCup, says it can be recycled in the regular paper bin and can also be “composted at home or in your food waste bin”. It has a patented folding design which securely closes the top of the cup and prevents splashes, leaks and drips, while allowing the consumer to drink from its inbuilt spout.
Mr McLoughlin said: “We are thrilled to be launching in the UK with WWT, an organisation whose ethos of protecting the natural world we share.
“It is a travesty that of the billions of coffee cups the UK uses each year, so few get recycled. We created ButterflyCup to lift the lid on this eco disaster and help solve it. We believe it is the world’s most environmentally friendly disposable cup, and we hope more coffee outlets across the UK give their customers the option of using it in the near future.”
ButterflyCup says it has already held talks with several major coffee chains. The cup already used in more than twenty countries across five continents.
Takeaway coffee cups
Despite the rise of reusable cups, Britons throw away 2.5 billion coffee cups each year, ButterflyCup says. It added that only one in 400 is recycled.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall confronted coffee chain giants on their recycling policies in his War on Waste documentary ((C) Keo Films – Photographer: Gus Palmer)
The difficulty in recycling most takeaway coffee cups was highlighted four years ago by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in a BBC documentary called Hugh’s War on Waste (see letsrecycle.com story).
This was followed by an inquiry in 2017 by the Environmental Audit Committee, then chaired by Mary Creagh, which proposed introducing a 25p ‘latte levy’ which could help fund the infrastructure to recycle coffee cups. While the proposal was rejected by the government it did spur some market activity.
Kendal-based paper recycler James Cropper has developed ‘CupCycle’ technology, which takes the virgin paper in takeaway cups and “upcycles” it into “deluxe” paper. In May 2018, the company celebrated a “landmark moment” when it received its first load of coffee cups from a London materials recycling facility (MRF)