Starbucks will begin testing a new kind of recyclable coffee cup as it looks to cut waste.
The news comes in the face of criticism from environmental campaigners, who say 2.5 billion plastic cups are dumped in landfill sites in the UK every year.
The new recyclable Frugalpac cups were designed by British entrepreneur Martin Myerscough, who developed a thin plastic membrane that is removed during the paper recycling process, meaning the materials can be recovered and re-used.
A Starbucks spokesperson told British Baker: “We are very interested in finding out more about the Frugalpac cup and we will be testing it to see if it meets our standards for safety and quality with a view to trialing its recyclability.”
The objective of increasing paper cup recovery and recycling was introduced in June when the packaging industry and coffee retailers, including Starbucks, came together to launch the Paper Cup Manifesto.
The manifesto has more than 30 participants representing suppliers, manufacturers, and high street brands to waste processors.
The campaign will feature in a BBC documentary, Hugh’s War on Waste: The Battle Continues, which will be screened on Thursday next week.
In March, Starbucks responded to criticism of its recycling record by announcing that it would offer a 50p discount to customers who bring in their own coffee cup.
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