# Advice needed for a new business about compostable cups



## other213 (Jan 17, 2018)

We are due to open a new coffee shop in the UK within the next couple of months. We have been looking at the range of compostable cups that are available, but we are unsure about whether this will actually make our business more eco-friendly. I have read that these cups don't effectively breakdown in landfill so don't actually make much of a difference.

Does anyone know of any commercial composting facilities in the UK that will process these cups? Has anyone provided specific bins for their customers to dispose of the cups properly?

Many thanks.


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## Coffeejon (Oct 10, 2014)

I wonder if even these will have to take the 25p hit the Government is talking about?


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## hotmetal (Oct 31, 2013)

This seems like another way for the government to cash in whilst claiming it's 'for the environment' (cf diesel engines). It's another thing that is detrimental to small businesses that the likes of Costafewbucks can just absorb. They could raise more just by getting Starbucks to actually pay proper UK tax in the first place! I'm equally sure the tax raised will end up spent on MPs expenses or Heathrow expansion rather than improvement to the environmental impact of coffee shops. The way it's going we'll be seeing people bricking up their windows soon!

Back on topic, although I don't have any answers, one thing that occurred to me while reading, is that any solution that required specific bins in your shop isn't going to work with takeaway cups, because they will be taken away! Customers drinking on site can have proper cups. Maybe there's some merit in rewarding customers for using reusable cups - loyalty card gets you a keep cup instead of a couple of free coffees, or people using a keep cup can get double loyalty points, plus you could sell keep cups?


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## forzajuve (Feb 2, 2011)

if you have a waste contractor who just sends all materials to landfill then time to review that arrangement. Biodegradables in landfill is more harmful than plastics as they release methane (although usually converted to electric power). Composters wont want them as they dont break down quickly enough for their process.


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## espressotechno (Apr 11, 2011)

There are fully compostable cups (and cutlery & plates) available....can't remember the brand, but have a look on Vending International mag. or email them.


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

espressotechno said:


> There are fully compostable cups (and cutlery & plates) available....can't remember the brand, but have a look on Vending International mag. or email them.


Vegware

But it's those there is issue with

If they go to landfill they don't compost as it becomes anaerobic in too short a time.


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

other213 said:


> We are due to open a new coffee shop in the UK within the next couple of months. We have been looking at the range of compostable cups that are available, but we are unsure about whether this will actually make our business more eco-friendly. I have read that these cups don't effectively breakdown in landfill so don't actually make much of a difference.
> 
> Does anyone know of any commercial composting facilities in the UK that will process these cups? Has anyone provided specific bins for their customers to dispose of the cups properly?
> 
> Many thanks.


Mrs *** here. Bit of a hobby horse of mine this thru work as well as personal. I believe only 2 recyclers of single use cups countrywide! Have you considered a real USP and going cup free, have e-coffee cups that customers buy and then bring back each visit or if one-off customers you have the satisfaction of knowing you have started them on the reduction to landfill route. Think of the landfill numbers you could save, the talk generated and the promo from being featured in green publications. Ok so pie in the sky dream. But someone has to make a start with this...so why not yours? The number of people I know who refuse single use cups is increasing. Unless I have my e-coffee mug with me, I refrain from a coffee, needless to say its always with me.


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## Missy (Mar 9, 2016)

mines_abeer said:


> Mrs *** here. Bit of a hobby horse of mine this thru work as well as personal. I believe only 2 recyclers of single use cups countrywide! Have you considered a real USP and going cup free, have e-coffee cups that customers buy and then bring back each visit or if one-off customers you have the satisfaction of knowing you have started them on the reduction to landfill route. Think of the landfill numbers you could save, the talk generated and the promo from being featured in green publications. Ok so pie in the sky dream. But someone has to make a start with this...so why not yours? The number of people I know who refuse single use cups is increasing. Unless I have my e-coffee mug with me, I refrain from a coffee, needless to say its always with me.


Mrs *** sounds like she's awesome!


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## 9719 (Mar 29, 2015)

depends on which end of the queue you're at, whilst she fumbles around, saying I'm sure I brought my cup.


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## igm45 (Mar 5, 2017)

mines_abeer said:


> depends on which end of the queue you're at, whilst she fumbles around, saying I'm sure I brought my cup.


...


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## Barry Cook (Feb 14, 2012)

other213 said:


> We are due to open a new coffee shop in the UK within the next couple of months. We have been looking at the range of compostable cups that are available, but we are unsure about whether this will actually make our business more eco-friendly. I have read that these cups don't effectively breakdown in landfill so don't actually make much of a difference.
> 
> Does anyone know of any commercial composting facilities in the UK that will process these cups? Has anyone provided specific bins for their customers to dispose of the cups properly?
> 
> Many thanks.


Well, hello and good luck with your new venture!

The environmental takeaway cup plan does open up a number of issues, such as:

- The proposed "Latte Levy" 25p charge. Much as it's already got the public's minds focussed on doing the right thing, the actual concept proposed by MPs is all a load of hot air. How do they think it will be implemented? Would they start taxing the cups at source when they are being wholesaled to the coffee shop to ensure that tax is being collected, and how would they then ensure that the tax is being charged to the customer as that's surely the whole point of concept??? As a coffee shop owner, would I be expected to start charging customers more to takeaway than to drink in? Maybe I'm being cynical, but MPs like to make noises to appear that they care about an issue when in fact it's just to get them in the news and then they forget about the issue in question. It really hasn't been thought through properly Hopefully I'm wrong.

- Availability of recyclable takeaway cups. As already mentioned, Vegware are the most well known producer of these types of cups. And again, as already mentioned, be aware of many of these as they are described as "compostable" meaning that they need to be composted to break down, NOT put into landfill. I believe that if the main-stream manufacturers could produce a cup without the plastic liner at an equivalent cost, they would do as that would no doubt make manufacturing a much simpler process.

- Recycling plants that can actually recycle a regular "disposable" takeaway cup are few and far between. Indeed, there are only two of them in the whole country, so unless your council has an arrangement to take any waste to them (highly unlikely) then those cups will end up in landfill. Even if your cups do get taken there, how large is the carbon footprint in transportation? And not forgetting the actual process of breaking the cup down, as surely there is an environmental cost to this as well?

I believe the issues around society refusing to accept single-use products such as coffee cups is a cultural thing much bigger than our industry, but you can still be part of changing this IF your customer base is also willing to be open-minded and enthusiastic about it. I say this with confidence, as my old cafe was in Swindon and I found the interest in reusable cups was near enough zero once people realised there may initially be a small charge for the reusable cup. On the other hand, where I am now (Cirencester), the public have a very different outlook on these things and I would say that probably 1 in 5 takeaways are now served in the customer's own cup, and that is on the increase. So, do think very carefully about what options you look at with your customers in mind.


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