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Are Paper Coffee Cups Recyclable?
One of the questions
that always pops up when Great Forest consultants give an industry talk or hold a recycling education session revolves around paper coffee cups.
They are everywhere - Starbucks, for example, uses about 2.3 billion a year - but they cannot be recycled in most cities. And that is often a surprise to many. Recently David Troust, Great Forest's vice president of business development, explained why at a talk he gave to the Washington D.C. chapter of the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment. So for future reference, here is the answer.
Hot beverage paper cups have a thin waxy lining that keeps the hot liquids from leaking. This coating cannot be separated from the cup and may thus contaminate and interfere with the recycling process. Therefore most recycling facilities will not accept these cups for recycling.
However, efforts are currently being made to solve this massive problem. For example, the nonprofit organization Global Green's Coalition for Resource Recovery has been working with food service outlets, waste industry experts and cup manufacturers to come up with a hot beverage paper cup that can be recycled alongside corrugated cardboard boxes. [See the New York Times article "On Recycling, NYC Goes from Leader to Laggard"]
"Until these cups can be widely recycled, or until companies start using paper cups that are recyclable or compostable, I tell people that they might want to bring their own travel mugs," says David.
David's AIA talk was focused on sustainability practices in the D.C. region, where Great Forest works with over 100 commercial buildings.
David was also recently part of a panel on affordable sustainability organized by the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development. The one-day session, "Affordable Green Building: Smart Solutions to Improve Building Performance," was attended by about 60 property managers.
"At every talk I give, whether it is to architects, designers, property managers or developers, the most popular topic seems to be recycling," notes David. "I often get asked what can and cannot be recycled. And of course, that eventually leads to the coffee cup question."
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