PROGRESS REPORT December 2017
Executive Summary The PCRRG: Scope and Membership The Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group (PCCRG) is a voluntary body dedicated to increasing the recovery and recycling of paper cups. It has more than 40 members from across the supply chain including paper board manufacturers, paper cup manufacturers, distributors, coffee retail brands, waste, recycling and reprocessing companies, local authorities and NGO bodies including litter organisations. The PCRRG was formally established in 2014, building on existing informal partnerships between its founding members. Its purpose is to help address the challenges in the UK in relation to single use paper cup recycling and to coordinate the industry s commitment to deliver effective recovery and recycling which in turn will support the group and its members continuing work on anti-littering solutions. In June 2016 the PCRRG launched its Manifesto in partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) defining its commitment and setting out a path to deliver significant increases in the recovery and recycling of paper cups. paper board manufacture recycling and reprocessing waste management The PCRRG is formed of an Executive Board and four working groups which deliver the research and collaboration which work towards delivery of the manifesto goals. These working groups cover: Infrastructure and Partnerships Cup Design Litter Implications Communications and Engagement The PCRRG is a voluntary body to facilitate collaboration across the supply chain, encourage engagement of all relevant parties and agree common goals for progress. cup manufacture distributors coffee retailers and OOH operators Paper Cup Manifesto A partnership of businesses, recyclers, suppliers and the public to increase the recovery and recycling of paper cups. Objective By 2020 the greater majority of the UK population will have access to information, schemes and facilities that enable used paper cups to be sustainably recovered and recycled. Pledge The paper cup supply chain agrees to work together to ensure paper cups are designed, used, disposed of and collected to maximise the opportunities for recycling by further investment and funding of recycling, disposal and collection projects. 2
PCRRG Members Executive board 2016/17 Members Supporting members 3
Introduction And Purpose The purpose of this report is to examine the reasons why paper cups are under scrutiny, highlight the role and purpose of paper cups and set out how the industry has tackled the issue of paper cup recycling in the past 12 months. It highlights the progress made by the group, individual members and a range of collaborations that have taken place as well as the many projects they are funding and examples of good practice that they have introduced in recent months. Twelve months ago, very few facilities existed to collect and recycle paper cups, and engagement through the supply chain infrastructure was very fragmented. Now, through the work of the PCRRG and its members, and with the engagement and support of major retail brands and foodservice operators in workplace, education, leisure and travel, we estimate that more than 4,017 paper cup collection and recycling points are now available to consumers in the UK and that number is likely to grow at an increasing rate. Paper Cup Recycling Points July 2017 Costa Coffee stores 2 200 City of London Square Mile Challenge 117 recycling points McDonald s stores 850 Starbucks stores end 2017 850 In addition to the numbers above, third-party recovery operations such as Simply Cups and Options Management have also significantly increased their networks and partnerships over the past 12 months. The PCRRG is a unique, ground-breaking voluntary body, comprising competitor businesses and elements of the supply chain that usually operate in isolation. The existence of the PCRRG demonstrates that the sector takes its environmental responsibilities seriously in terms of the circular economy and is determined to make a difference to waste, paper cup recovery rates and littering through successfully working together. We know that there are difficult challenges associated with the growth of the market, infrastructure restrictions and consumer behaviour change, but we are determined to impact these. The PCRRG is taking the lead by facilitating proactive knowledge sharing, enabling diverse businesses to work collaboratively for the first time. Most importantly, this has led to conversations joining up the supply chain along its entire length. Although the PCRRG has been in existence since 2014, it and its members came under particular scrutiny in the summer of 2016 with national media debate about the recyclability of paper cups. Paper cups are recyclable, but, for reasons, explained in this Report, the collection and reprocessing of paper cups is sometimes technically challenging and recycling presents a number of issues along the supply chain. Whilst a market most definitely exists for recovered paper fibre, the laminate coating makes extracting the fibre to a high grade more complex. We are pleased to note the progress that is being made in reprocessing systems that includes the laminate coating. The UK retail coffee sector is an undoubted success story, employing more than 100 000* people in an estimated 22 000 coffee shops, with demand projected to increase to 30 000 units by 2025 1, bringing with it associated economic benefits. No one wants to see this momentum tempered, so the industry is taking responsibilities seriously with regard to paper waste and is striving hard to find effective solutions in every location that paper cups are used. This Report is a step towards redressing the balance in terms of argument about paper cups and sets out what the industry has achieved so far as well as indicating the positive action we are taking over the coming months. Neil Whittall Chairman PCRRG 1 Project Cafe17 *Excluding fast food chains such as McDonald s 4
The UK Retail Coffee Sector And Role Of Paper Cups According to Project Cafe 2, the UK retail coffee sector grew by an estimated 6% in 2016 to reach 22,845 outlets, turning over 8.9 billion. Much of the growth and the UK appetite for coffee has been fuelled by the increase in cash-rich, time-poor consumers who need food and drink on the go. Without the packaging innovations that have allowed consumers to take food and beverages on the journey to and from work or to their desk or home, this success story would not be so impressive. Packaging is the means by which a food or beverage product is delivered in good condition to the point of consumption. Packaging that is in contact with food or beverages must meet strict legislative requirements especially those related to food contact and hygiene and be fit for purpose, protecting the consumer from spills, scalds and leaks. Those using paper cups know that they do not present a risk to their customers or staff, are safe to handle and are hygienic. Hygiene is a significant positive factor in paper cups use, reducing risk of contamination and cross infection for both consumers and staff. In short, packaging is the essential pillar upon which this thriving sector is built. The industry acknowledges, however, that whilst packaging is fit for purpose, it can also have an important role to play in the circular economy and it is this aspect that those involved in the supply, use and disposal of paper cups are seeking to redress through collaboration facilitated by the PCRRG. 2 Project Cafe17 5
Why Are Paper Cups Under Scrutiny? Myth: Paper Cups Cannot Be Recycled There is a common misunderstanding that coated paper board, the material used to make paper cups, cannot be recycled. This is not the case, but it was given widespread exposure in the UK in July 2016, when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall s War on Waste programme turned its attention to paper cups. Paper cups can and are being recycled in the UK and there are currently several facilities specifically set up for this including two members of the PCRRG: ACE UK and James Cropper Paper PLC. However we recognise that current paper cup recycling levels are limited by collection infrastructure and the number and geographical distribution of UK Processing facilities. The paper fibre used as the raw material in the manufacturing of paper cup board is derived from sustainably sourced virgin fibre. As fibre from virgin sources is strong and good quality, it is attractive to recyclers and producers of recycled content paper products. The plastic material, mainly PE, recovered from paper cups during the recycling process, can also be reused as a secondary raw material. Myth: Litter Because most paper cups are consumed away from home and a significant proportion of those are on the go, they also have a greater propensity to be littered - as a result the perception of issues caused by paper cups is very high. Paper cups make up just 0.7% of total paper packaging waste (Defra, Government Statistical Service 15 December 2015) Paper cups make up just 0.1% of the total volume of household waste in the UK 3. Paper cups do not litter themselves, it is the people using the cups who litter. The motivations for this are complex and the subject of further studies, but the decline in the numbers of litter bins on the street, for both security and economic reasons, plays a role. For the group and its members the development of more options for the collection of cups through the various channels will provide benefits that will extend into reducing littering. 3 INCPEN Other reprocessing mechanisms also exist for recycling paper cups into polymer-based materials, such as garden/street furniture and insulation. Ultimately, the recovery of energy from paper cup waste also has a role to play in delivering a responsible disposal solution to avoid landfill. 6
Credit: PEFC Myth: Forests Destroyed The paper fibre used as the raw material in the manufacturing of paper cup board contains virgin fibre, which is sustainably sourced with robust and globally recognised forestry management procedures in place. These include thirdparty traceability systems such as the Forest Stewardship Council s FSC Chain of Custody/ Controlled Wood scheme, the Chain of Custody/ Due Diligence System of the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the ISO 14001 environmental management systems. In such forests, for every tree harvested at maturity, new saplings are planted or grow naturally. The majority of new trees are harvested during two thinnings: one at 25-35 years and one at 40-50 years. One tree is left growing to full maturity at 70-90 years before final felling. Using wood fibre from forests with these sound management practices has a positive environmental outcome, as forest volume is actually increasing year on year: annual growth exceeds annual cuttings. For example, in Sweden and Finland, where most of the wood fibre for European beverage cartons originates, forests are expanding. In Sweden 85 million m 3 of wood is harvested annually, while the annual growth is around 120 million m 3 (2011 figures). In Finland, industrial logging is only around two thirds (71 million m 3 ) of annual growth (104 million m 3 ) (2011 figures). After the tree is harvested, every part of it is used most effectively: the thickest trunks and lower parts of trees are used for construction or furniture timber, the thinner parts (5-15cm) for paper and paperboard (pulp), and the rest (bark, small branches, sawdust) for bio-energy, particularly in the paper mills 4. Some 80% of harvested forestry is used in the building and construction industry. In the UK it is estimated that paper cups account for 0.27% of the 9 million tonnes of paper board consumed. 4 ACE UK 7
Material Characteristics Paper cups supplied by responsible UK, European and global manufacturers and distributors are produced from sustainably managed forestry, converted into high-strength paper with a polymer barrier, the majority of which is currently a polyethylene plastic (PE) coating, which is critical for holding the liquid contents and for preventing the ingress of the drink into the cup board. It also ensures the sealing of the board to form the cup and ensuring it does not leak. There are a multitude of sizes, styles and configurations of paper cups on the market but there are two common types of paper cups: Single wall paper cups have a single paper sheet with either a single or double polyethylene layer Double wall paper cups have an inner and outer paper sheet separated by a layer of air to help insulate hot drinks. The outer sheet can be produced in a range of styles. The inner wall has a polyethylene layer There are a number of alternative cup types and components on the market and the PCRRG is currently compiling a register to inform the whole supply chain. Furthermore, the PCRRG members are investigating alternative ways of applying a plastic lining, as well as other coating formulas, and the PCRRG has an open mind about new future developments. The Lifecycle of Paper Cups The creation, use and recycling of a paper cup involves up to seven different stakeholders. For a paper cup to be recovered and recycled, end to end collaboration across the supply chain is key. A paper cup supply chain for PE coated cups typically looks like the schematic below. Manufacturer Retailer Consumer Waste management collection Waste management sorting Fibre recovery facility Paper/ board reprocessor Successful recycling requires involvement from each stakeholder in the process. The cup design needs to consider the available collection and recycling infrastructure available at end of life Consumers need to place the empty cup, limiting contamination, in the specified recycling collection container The waste collector must empty the bin and take the contents to a MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) or reprocessor The MRF must sort cups from the other items (or have the capacity to include them in mixed paper bales) The cup must be sent to the correct type of reprocessor. Biodegradable and nonbiodegradable cups need to be processed in different types of infrastructure 8
The Role Of Biodegradable And Compostable Cups The PCRRG sees a role for all material formats in reaching effective recovery and recycling solutions and compostable and bio-degradables are part of this solution. However, these formats must arrive at the right reprocessing facility or they do not break down in the intended way. This means that this type of cup requires a suitable collection, infrastructure and a joined up approach across the supply chain to ensure: their collection is maximised they can be suitably processed in an industrial facility they do not contaminate other recycling waste streams Compostable cups are not the same as recyclable paper cups and they must be treated as a separate waste stream. In order to be composted, they must go to an industrial composter. Biodegradable products that are not certified compostable are unlikely to fulfil the requirements of any industrial composting facility. This is because reprocessing facilities work on strict guidelines on the acceptance of packaging in order to help ensure the quality of end products. 9
Charges, Taxes And Levies The PCRRG does not support the introduction of charges, taxes, deposit schemes or levies on single use paper cups. The group strongly believes that its commitment to voluntary action, and the numerous examples of good practice in recovery and recycling activities that its members have been involved in over recent years, shows that there is the necessary appetite for market-led solutions. Deposit Return Schemes Deposit return schemes do not address the current lack of recycling infrastructure for paper cups and therefore will not fundamentally contribute to the agenda of increasing cup recycling. To be specific, unless recycling infrastructure is increased, introducing a Deposit Return Scheme will make no difference to recycling rates. Furthermore, motivating consumers to return used cups is a challenge and is considered by the PCRRG to be impractical as a one-size fits all solution. From a retail perspective, there are additional considerations associated with deposit schemes, such as retail space required for storage, waste handling restrictions and implications for cost to the consumer at point of sale. Cup Charge The PCRRG believes that the concept of a proposed charge on paper cups cannot be compared like-forlike with the imposition of the carrier bag charge. A key reason for this is that the majority of coffee consumption out of the home is spontaneous. Of course some may be planned such as on the way to work or for example at half-time during a match, however putting a lightweight bag in a pocket is one thing but a rigid reusable mug is something completely different, especially with the risk of residues and spills. Many workers to do not carry bags at all. Further consideration should be given to hygiene. The use of reuseables requires the ability to wash and clean the product after use, both for the benefit of consumer health but also the operator who may be asked to handle the product when presented with it by the consumer. To ensure cleanliness and effective hygiene, this would normally involve the use of water and detergents which is another consideration based on the facilities available to do this efficiently. The PCRRG strongly believes that a levy on paper cups is not a viable long term solution. Taxing single-use paper cups will not improve recycling infrastructure, unless funds are specifically directed to this which is not usually endorsed by government. The PCRRG believes that only an industry-led range of solutions will significantly increase rates of recovery and recycling for the long term. Furthermore, applying a tax to a product, where there is no environmental impact evidence to provide guidance on the most appropriate disposal route, may drive counter-intuitive and unsustainable solutions. PCRRG members firmly believe that improvements to infrastructure, alongside changing consumer behaviour through education, are key to working towards a more sustainable paper cup supply chain. The PCRRG also believes that charges, taxes, deposits and levies will not address the UK s litter problems. In relation to litter, to achieve the necessary transformation in consumer behaviour will require investment in appropriate, national behaviour change-led campaigns. This must be a collaboratively designed response involving the whole packaging and producing sector in conjunction with the statutory authorities and NGOs. 10
The Work Of The PCRRG 2016-2017 Summary Reports The PCRRG operates four volunteer groups, each chaired by industry representatives, working to deliver the research and activities which contribute towards the membership achieving the goals in the PCRRG Manifesto. The working groups Infrastructure, Design, Litter and Communications and Engagement have each set out business plans against which progress will be measured. The section below details some of the key achievements and actions currently being undertaken by each PCRRG working group: Infrastructure Working Group The overall objective of this working group is to provide the majority of people with the opportunity to recycle paper cups within the UK. The key projects that have been identified and are being delivered by the infrastructure working group are: 1. Mapping of UK infrastructure and population: Work has been undertaken by the infrastructure group to develop databases of paper mills and other treatment facilities and to prepare maps of the location of facilities and the technology used in the sorting methods applied. This information is supplemented by information collated regarding population density in order to identify where cups are likely to arise. 2. Cup arisings: Existing data is being reviewed and new studies supported to gain data on the arisings of cups (ie where cups appear) within different waste streams. This work aims to inform the group regarding dispersal routes for cups following purchase. 3. Acceptance criteria: The group has developed a document prescribing the presentations of cups and an acceptable level of contamination for two specialist facilities accepting cups for processing. The intention is that the document can be used to inform collection and bulking operations as well as communications in relation to paper cups. 4. MRF processing of cups: Work is planned to undertake a further assessment of MRF processing of cups. This will build on previous work delivered by PCRRG and will explore how cup design, presentation of cups and MRF operations influence how cups are processed by different UK MRFs. 5. Post-use disposal of cups: The group is reviewing information gathered by members and other organisations to gain an understanding of what influences consumer behaviour in relation to disposal of cups. The information is used to help inform decisions by members regarding collection methods, processing options and communications. 11
Design Working Group This working group has been established to provide data and design guidelines to define best practice, in terms of cup design from an environmental perspective and to support recovery and recycling of disposable paper cups. The following projects are currently being delivered: 1. Creating a comprehensive list of today s cup types currently in the UK market to better understand the construction, structure, materials and usage. 2. Identify ideal properties of a future cup to support ease of recovery and recycling, including: design, materials, properties, manufacturing and usage. 3. Identify new designs already being worked on noting their pros and cons, how they work in the existing recovery and recycling set-up and assessing whether they have to be treated any differently. Litter Working Group The PCRRG Litter group captures information about programmes, initiatives and actions by different organisations across the UK in order to inform how PCRRG members can better manage litter and seeks proactive engagement with all relevant litter organisations such as Keep Britain Tidy, Clean Up Britain, Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. A key project that has been planned and will be undertaken later this year (2017) is the assessment of cup arisings within litter bins within Scotland, led by Keep Scotland Beautiful. This will provide an understanding of the amount of cups deposited within bins within different types of Zone (including town centres and residential locations) and will enhance the group s understanding of dispersal routes for cups following purchase. This work will produce results that are scalable and transferable across all four UK countries. The group gives members the opportunity to understand more about litter, and get direction and advice on litter strategies and initiatives. Communications and Engagement Working Group The Communications and Engagement working group is working towards the objective of developing clear and consistent communication to consumers on the sustainable use and recycling of paper cups. The challenges in communicating messages effectively using marketing collateral at point of sale or disposal must be addressed collaboratively across the supply chain to be successful. The PCRRG believes that it is vital that there is consistency in messaging, as well as recycling infrastructure to support communications with a set of uniform messages. This would help in providing clear and concise messaging for consumers across the UK. The group is strongly of the view that the messaging focusing on empty cup/recyclable cup could support progress. Our Communications and Engagement working group is undertaking a programme of work over the course of the Manifesto delivery which will help to support commitments to reduce consumer confusion and encourage recycling. 12
PCRRG Member Activity Report In addition to the core activities of the group, a number of members have pro-actively engaged in independent activities to increase recovery and recycling of paper cups including: Bunzl Catering Supplies: In 2017 Bunzl Catering Supplies successfully introduced Loughborough University, Gather & Gather, English Heritage (Stonehenge) and Puccino s Café to the Simply Cups recovery and recycling scheme. This year Simply Cups has collected over 34 000 used paper cups from Loughborough University, ready to be recycled into new products. This is in addition to the one million cups collected from the Square Mile Challenge, an initiative organised by social enterprise charity group Hubbub, in partnership with Simply Cups and supported by Bunzl Catering Supplies and other PCRRG members. Costa: Costa offers in-store recycling in over 2,200 stores, allowing the public to leave or return paper cups for recycling regardless of the brand. Costa is working alongside its waste partner Veolia to transport the cups collected to specialist waste processing facilities, recovering over a million paper cups a month. Costa has also worked with Veolia to trial a post back scheme ensuring cups from smaller volume sites are also recovered and recycled. The recently launched Simply Cups 2017 product catalogue showcases some of the products used paper cups can be recycled into, including: pens, pencils, paper cup bins and even park benches. Costa window poster (Bring in your empties and we'll take care of the rest) CC0117240SP Costa continues to promote the use of reusable cups, releasing two new multipurpose cups in 2017 and offers a 25p discount to customers purchasing drinks in reusable cups. In addition Costa continues to finalise an academic report with The University of Sheffield that seeks to test the perceived barriers to recycling paper cups in order to progress the debate towards a long term, workable solution. Costa is also supporting wider industry initiatives, partnering with the PCRRG and Hubbub s on the #1MoreShot and Square Mile Challenge campaigns. 13
Starbucks: While Starbucks continues to test new paper cup innovations that meet its safety standards, it is addressing reduction in two ways; reducing the number of paper cups used by raising awareness of reuseable cups and offering its longstanding 25p reusable cup discount incentive, and finding new ways to help customers recycle their paper cups. McDonald s: Has rolled out its recycling station programme to over 850 stores, with the remainder to be installed over the next 12 months. The new stations enable customers to separate liquid, paper cups and plastic for recycling. Working alongside Veolia and Simply Cups, the cups collected are then transported to specialist recycling facilities such as James Cropper Paper PLC, a custom speciality papermaker in Cumbria that can reprocess laminated paper fibre feedstock, and A Short Walk, a company that uses paper and polymer compounds to create new products. McDonald s also sponsored Hubbub s paper cup recycling projects in Manchester and the Square Mile. In January 2017 Starbucks began testing an in-store paper cup recycling bin trial, designed to encourage from street-to-in-store disposal of paper cups. The bins can be used to recycle any paper cup, not just those from Starbucks, and following the trial Starbucks plans to roll out a recycling solution in every store nationwide later this year. This follows a successful back of house trial run in partnership with Starbucks waste management provider Veolia. Starbucks foodservice customers can also recycle their paper cups via a paper cup recycling service offered by Veolia. In addition, Starbucks has been working closely with the industry and wider partnerships, including the PCRRG and Hubbub. McDonald s paper cups are being recycled in products supplied by A Short Walk and James Cropper. 14
Square Mile Challenge Members of the PCRRG, including Bunzl Catering Suppliers, Costa, Caffè Nero, Marks and Spencer, McDonald s, Nestlé, Pret A Manger and Starbucks are actively supporting the Square Mile Challenge, which launched in London s Square Mile in April to introduce paper cup recycling facilities across the City. The final count was 509,091 cups collected in the City during April and Hubbub and the Challenge partners are now working towards the stretch target of collecting and recycling five million paper cups by the end of the year. Photo courtesy of Hubbub The PCRRG has facilitated knowledge sharing opportunities in relation to these projects, by profiling them on the members platform and making them topics of discussion at the Working Group sessions as well as the all-member plenary session. Current Challenges The PCRRG, its members and the wider industry stakeholders have demonstrated in the last 12 months that we are collectively making huge progress towards the achievement of the Manifesto commitments we made in June 2016. The current recycling activities have resulted in widespread availability of paper cup recycling points; we estimate that there are now more than 3000 points where you can recycle your coffee cup in the UK. These are in locations such as coffee retailers, offices, stations, stadia and venues, as well as in the streets in some parts of the country. This has helped us make significant progress towards our PCRRG goals and this work highlights just what can be achieved through collaboration. Despite this, to meet our commitments the PCRRG recognises that there is more still more work to be done to increase accessibility to collection points for consumers and increase the amount of material that is sorted and recycled. We are keen to grow the collection infrastructure further and focus on creating a sustainable market for paper cup recyclate, which we recognise continues to be challenging, because the volume of paper cups is so low compared to other forms of card-based packaging waste and because of the complexities of separation of the raw materials. 15
Next Steps The PCRRG has agreed a full programme of work for 2017-2018 that builds on achievements so far. We will be continuing to use our purpose built members platform to progress from knowledge sharing and research to the delivery of action based projects, toolkits, guidance and templates for rolling out increased recycling activities. This will ensure the PCRRG delivers a substantial and sustained move towards the Manifesto goal of increasing paper cup recovery and recycling. The group will continue to seek to attract new members, and the Board has confirmed that it will encourage applications for seed funding for projects from members and their partners. All members will be able to put forward business cases for programmes of activities that they want to deliver and the PCRRG will facilitate the necessary stakeholder engagement and project management to get projects off the ground. Specialist support will be dedicated to ensuring that the outcomes of the learnings from each project are reported and shared via the platform, and that wherever possible shared resources are made available to aid the replicating of projects. A second project will research how mainstream sorting of cups might be encouraged at UK MRF facilities by assessing operational effectiveness of different MRF sorting systems in relation to cups and implications for optimising cup capture and ensuring high quality output material. Dependant on the outcomes of this, further work may be undertaken to assess in more detail the wider opportunities for increasing the amount of cups managed through UK sorting and reprocessing infrastructure. In addition to the programmes of activity, the PCRRG will continue to facilitate dialogue and act as a catalyst for bringing the industry together. Our four working groups will continue to meet regularly and the full membership will get together for two conferences in the winter and summer of 2018. Progress updates will be shared with stakeholders outside the PCRRG via our website: www.pcrrg.co.uk More than six business cases for innovative new cup recycling projects have already been identified by the group, spanning programmes to increase collection of cups to those that will identify opportunities for improving sorting and recycling of cups post collection. One of the first projects that is likely to progress in 2017 is an innovative trial of paper cup collections which will encourage offices and businesses to start recycling their cups, with the potential for the service to be offered to over 17 500 premises once the trial is complete. 16
Postscript In discussing paper cup recycling with governments and NGO s I m asked if we truly believe industry can deal with the issue of paper cup recycling without government intervention. The progress made by the Paper Cup and Recovery Group over the last 12 months clearly demonstrates that we can and will. The Paper Cup Manifesto is a collaboration of representatives of the whole supply chain, litter organisations and local government and is one of the few examples where an agreement with regard to packaging has obtained such a wide endorsement. This has resulted in a wide breadth of experts working together to identify workable solutions from cup creation to end of life. The PCRRG is therefore a lot more than just signatures on an agreement; it is a genuine catalyst for action. Its signatories are not passive and are not paying lip service to a manifesto they are totally committed to achieving a major increase in paper cup recycling. Being a member means being actively involved in the process of delivering the Manifesto objectives. As always, agreements take time to flourish but the foundations have been securely laid and we are now witnessing the biggest growth in collection points for a single packaging format that our country has seen for decades. Of course collection is only one half of the equation and developments with regard to recycling infrastructure are also taking shape. Cynics will inevitably question the progress made and the actions taken but the various alternatives proposed such as taxes, levies and deposits punish the public with additional charges and do nothing to enable one more cup to be recycled. We all detest litter and we all support the principle of the circular economy so our goals are identical. We therefore ask that those who question the programme set out in this paper come and join the collaboration. Martin Kersh Executive Director Foodservice Packaging Association 17
Glossary Away from Home Biodegradable Circular Economy Composting Material Recovery Facility Manifesto Paper Cups Polymer coated paper board Recovery Recyclable Recyclate Waste Hierarchy Relating to all food and drink consumed away from the home - on the move, at work, at leisure and whilst travelling. Also sometimes called out of home or OOH on the go. Organic matter that can be broken down by micro-organisms in the presence of oxygen to create carbon monoxide, water and essential minerals; where the materials break down in a way that is not harmful to the natural environment (in this instance biodegradable cups are products made from materials which are biodegradable). A model whereby materials are kept in circulation as long as possible, extracting the maximum value, then at the end of serviceable life, value is recovered and regenerated 1 The specific circumstances that create the commercial environment where organic matter is subject to aerobic degradation to make compost. A specialist type of facility that receives and sorts collected waste and separates materials for recyclers and other end-use markets. The public commitment made by members of the PCRRG to increase the recycling of paper cups in the UK by 2020: www.pcrrg.uk Beverage containers, usually for hot drinks, manufactured from paper board; the majority of cup formats are coated with plastic to prevent leakage. Paper which has been coated with polymer to enable use as a container, to increase wet strength and impart certain properties to enable use in packaging. The collection of paper cups for recycling whether from a closed environment (such as an office block or stadium) or from public collection points on the street, or in public bins dedicated to paper cup collection. Material that can be recycled within existing recycling facilities and systems. Material that is recyclable; material that has been collected, sorted and is ready for re-processing (also called secondary commodities or secondary raw materials). The waste management hierarchy is defined in the EU Waste Framework Directive and indicates an order of preference for action to reduce and manage waste, focussing on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle. In the five tier systems, energy from waste and landfill are the fourth and fifth options respectively because of their least favourable impacts on the environment. 1 WRAP 18