Wake up and smell the waste
Big noise. Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (HFW) is on the warpath again. This time it’s single-use coffee cups that have got him riled. He is out to promote the fact that we get through about 2.5 billion of them in the UK but hardly any of them are recycled - less than 0.25%.
But aren’t they paper? Although mostly paper, they are also 5% polyethylene which coats the inside of the cup so that it can handle hot drinks. Separating the two materials isn’t easy or cheap. It is possible though, which is why the cups often include the recycling logo.
False claims. It’s a confusing situation, but the coffee chains haven’t helped themselves. Starbucks, etc. have made claims about how they have been clearing up this mess: discounts for those bringing in their own reusable cups and the use of compostable cups being two examples. They are also trying to produce a more readily recyclable version, but not much is working.
Costly mistake. Starbucks received the brunt of the criticism in the press. It did give a 25p discount to customers who brought in their own cups but after this media attention it’s upped that to 50p in a two-month trial.
Tip. Some materials are hard to recycle, and if they are, it’s best to admit it. As with any green claims, promising what you can’t deliver is a very risky policy. You might not have HFW on your case, but others are just as likely to want to shoot down any claims that look to be false.
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