The Cup Fund
In 2019, Hubbub and Starbucks launched the Cup Fund, granting between £50,000 and £100,000 to 13 ambitious coffee cup recycling projects across the UK.
The Cup Fund aimed to kickstart cup recycling by introducing new cup recycling bins in high-footfall locations, creating new partnerships, and delivering high-quality behaviour-change communications to inform the public that cups can be recycled and how they can do so.
Images from The Cup Fund projects.
The problem
8 million cups are thrown away every day in the UK but only 4% are recycled.
It’s well known that the UK is a country that loves a cup of tea, but increasingly we’ve become keen coffee drinkers too. The other change in our society is that we’re drinking more tea and coffee when out and about – which results in a lot of disposable cups being used.
Coffee cups currently can’t be recycled in most mixed recycling bins as they’re made of mixed-materials - paper with a plastic lining to make the cup waterproof.
The good news is that if the cups are collected separately, they can be recycled at three plants in the UK: Ace UK in West Yorkshire, DS Smith in Kent and James Cropper in Cumbria.
What’s missing is infrastructure - the network of recycling bins to collect these cups – which is where the Cup Fund comes in. Supporting a range of different organisations to trial different types of infrastructure and producing awareness campaigns to find out how we can standardise collecting single use cups for recycling!
Our approach
13 projects were selected by an independent grant panel consisting of Hubbub, Starbucks, Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM) and LARAC to receive funding from the Cup Fund to kickstart coffee cup recycling. These funds were used for:
Recycling infrastructure
Collection costs
Communications materials and marketing support
Staff time to create, deliver and evaluate the campaign.
Hubbub provided ongoing support to the 13 successful applicants, based on our expertise and experience in delivering successful cup recycling campaigns, such as the Square Mile Challenge and In the Loop.
The fund was made possible by Starbucks’ pioneering 5p cup charge which is applied when a customer buys a drink in a single-use cup. These 5ps support waste reduction and wider sustainability efforts, with the goal of helping to create stronger, greener communities.
The difference made
13 projects funded across the UK resulted in the recycling of 4.4 million single use cups (48 tonnes)
136 tonnes CO2 saved (equivalent of 97 homes’ electricity use for one year)
39 partners
1,484 bins installed
60% average target material (cups) in bins
Learnings - our top tips for collecting cups
Keep a lid on contamination: this is the main reason why cup recycling can fail, so do all you can to reduce it
Inside or out: on-street bins can collect high volumes, but contamination is often high. Managed locations will generally see less volume, but better quality. Depending on your project aims and location, a combination of bins inside and outside is best
Bins need buddies: to minimise contamination always ensure cup bins are placed alongside general waste bins and mixed recycling bins to create obvious distinction
Clear communications: strive for simple and consistent messaging. Use bold designs and colours to stand out from the crowd, and consider how else you can promote cup recycling, e.g. targeted social media. Hubbub can support with template communications assets.
Start small & be prepared to adapt: some locations will work better than others depending on the type of footfall.
Compostable confusion: compostable cups can’t be recycled so be careful of positioning cup recycling bins in the proximity of cafes which serve compostable cups and consider how messaging can help
Binspirational design: from cup-shaped bins to tube bins, there are lots of options and no perfect solutions, so try to find the best combination for your setting
Build familiarity: the longer the bins are there, the more likely they are to work. Especially in locations with repeat footfall such as regular commuters.
Training is key: ensure that these emptying and maintaining the bins understand them and are bought into the process
Partner and collaborate: e.g., with local businesses, universities, hospitals and cafes, who can all expand the reach of your initiative
Get involved
Want further top tips on coffee cup comms, bins and preventing contamination? Read the Cup Fund impact report here
Interested in introducing your own cup recycling scheme? Check out our how-to guide here.
