01 February 2016

MCDONALD’S UK PARTNERS WITH JAMES CROPPER FOR PAPER CUP RECYCLING TRIAL

James Cropper has announced a trial recycling partnership with McDonald's UK, as the two explore pioneering moves in sustainability and recycling.

The partnership will enable paper cups used in McDonald's restaurants across the UK, every week, to be recycled at James Cropper's reclaimed fiber plant, where the previously non-recyclable, plastic-coated paper cups will be processed into reusable fiber for the production of paper products.

Richard Burnett, market development manager at James Cropper, said, “It's estimated that up to 2.5 billion paper cups are used in the UK every year. Most of these are currently not recycled as, being polyethylene-coated, they can't be recycled amongst ordinary household waste.

“In addition, collecting used paper cups for recycling has been problematic due to the nature of their use — they're used on the go and are often taken away from the place of purchase.

“The partnership with McDonald's has been nearly two years in the making and signifies an important step towards recycling used paper cups and, ultimately, reducing waste going to landfill. By collaborating with McDonald's, we're working towards an effective scheme that can recoup as many used paper cups as possible, which can then go back into the supply chain,” Burnett explained.