Are Paper Coffee Cups Recyclable?

For those of you who love coffee, you might be wondering what impact your coffee consumption has on the environment. While coffee cups may seem like a small and insignificant by-product of the modern-day lifestyle, they’re more impactful than you think! ☕️

Every year, 16 billion paper coffee cups are used across the world. To produce all of these coffee cups, 6.5 million trees must be cut down. Sadly, many of these coffee cups are not disposed of properly and end up in landfills.

Many coffee shops and brands aren't aware that eco-friendly disposable coffee cups are more readily available. Commercially compostable coffee cups, for example, are a perfect sustainable solution for restaurants and cafes.

Instead of throwing them in a waste bin, customers can dispose of their compostable coffee cups in commercial composts. By reducing the number of paper coffee cups that get tossed into the trash, the already concerning issue of global warming and land pollution is exacerbated.

What Can You Do as a Coffee Business to Help the Environment?

If you’re a coffee shop or roaster, there are a number of steps you can take to minimize the potential negative impacts on the environment.

One of the best things you can do is provide customers with commercially compostable coffee cups, so they may enjoy your drinks without generating more waste. You may also educate customers on how to dispose of your paper coffee cups in the correct commercial composting facilities.

For the in-person dining experience, most coffee stores offer bins for compostable coffee cups, so customers will know exactly which bin to use. At the end of the day, they can take their composting bins to the right commercial compost and prevent waste from cluttering landfills.

Why Are Paper Cups Not Recyclable?

You might be wondering, ‘why are paper coffee cups not recyclable at home?’. Generally, paper coffee cups aren’t accepted by local recycling collection services because they have an inner lining made out of plastic.

So, when coffee cups are taken to recycling centers, it’s difficult for them to be properly recycled and reused. The two components – the outer cardboard layer and the inner plastic lining – need to be separated before the recycling process can begin.

The plastic lining is usually made out of plastic polymers like polyethylene, polylactic acid (PLA), or paraffin wax. Its function is to prevent your coffee from leaking out. Because of this lining, many recycling companies don’t accept paper coffee cups. The method of separating the cardboard and plastic is complicated and requires specialized machinery.

Commercially Composting Disposable Cardboard Coffee Cups

In the commercial composting process, PLA lining biodegrades along with the paper materials of your disposable cup. That's why it's important to recognize which facilities offer commercial composting, and to let customers know how they can properly compost your coffee cups.

Whether customers drink your establishment's coffee every day or once a week, making a conscious effort to use more sustainable coffee cups does a lot for the environment. By using commercially compostable coffee cups, the number of cups that end up in landfills would be significantly reduced, thereby tackling land pollution head-on.

That's a Wrap!

Lots of great companies offer coffee cups that are suitable for commercial composting. At noissue, we have high-quality, compostable paper coffee cups that provide an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional coffee cups. Plus, your compostable coffee cups don't have to compromise on quality or branding!

noissue's Compostable Custom Coffee Cups with Lids are commercially compostable and can proudly display your unique designs. Have your takeout coffee and tea stand out from the competition by being sustainable and stylish!

Need more eco-friendly cafe and food delivery supplies? Check out our range of takeout food packaging that make sustainability on-brand!