Australians go through an estimated one billion disposable coffee cups per year, the vast majority of which end up in landfill.
Now, a new joint initiative by CIBO Espresso and Simply Cups will aim to change how Adelaideans deal with the waste from their morning cuppa.
From today, Thursday 19 July, CIBO stores across Adelaide will install cup recycling points, and a large Perspex box in the middle of Rundle Mall will show passers-by just how many cups end up in landfill and the difference recycling them could make.
According to Robert Pascoe, managing director of Closed Loop Environmental Solutions, which runs the Simply Cups program in Australia, single-use takeaway coffee cups need to be phased out entirely.
“We would love for everyone to bring their own cups or sit down in a cafe, however this is not currently the case,” he said.
“While takeaway cups are still being used, we need to provide a solution now so the cups don’t end up in landfill, while working on a better solution for the future.”
The Australian branch of the Simply Cups program launched in Sydney and Melbourne last year, and has already collected more than one million cups for recycling. It has since expanded into Brisbane and now Adelaide.
“We are currently working with several exciting new technologies both here and in the UK to turn cups into ‘upcycled’ products which we can keep,” said Pascoe.
“These products range from re-useable coffee cups, the rCUP, through to safety bollards, car park bump stoppers and kerbing.”
The rCUP will be sold at CIBO Espresso stores, and is the world’s first reusable cup that incorporates six recycled coffee cups and recycled plastic into its construction.
