In 2014, the team established the UK’s first nationwide paper cup collection and recycling service, which was subsequently sold. They are currently managing The Cup Collective to increase cup recycling on an industrial scale across the EU. Although the proposed UK Mandatory Paper Cup Take Back Legislation has been delayed until 2025, businesses can now benefit from the cost savings attributed to cup recycling and fulfill their commitments to generating less waste. Co-cre8’s Paper Cup Recycling Scheme is open to all businesses of all sizes across the UK and will register as an official DEFRA Take Back Scheme participant.
A layered collection solution will be offered, dependent on the volume of used cups generated by the business, including backhaul or on-site collection for larger users, and post-back for smaller businesses. Co-cre8 will also offer expert guidance on how to implement cup recycling at the site and provide a range of intuitive, brandable, and highly-durable cup collection stations that optimize efficiency and reduce contamination.
Members will be able to securely access real-time data on the exact weight of collected and recycled cups, enabling continual performance improvement and compliance with UK Mandatory Take Back legislation when introduced. In Brussels, the cup recycling scheme managed by co-cre8 is reducing waste disposal costs by more than 50% by using co-cre8’s own innovative cup collection stations.
Additionally, when these stations are put in the right place, more than 40% of dine-in cups can be collected without contamination for easy recycling. Peter Goodwin, managing director and co-founder of Co-cre8, stated: “We aim to break this deadlock with a layered collection and recycling service that will meet the needs of both foodservice chains, independent coffee shops, and everything in between.”
James Capel, chairman, and co-founder of Co-cre8, added, “Our re-entry into the waste market is certainly a case of unfinished business. Cup recycling has stagnated while we’ve been away, and our mission is to change that by increasing the availability of proven cup collection infrastructure and services that ensure a much more circular outcome for these desirable high-quality fibers”.
