News / Bristol Waste
Bristol residents save half a million cups from waste in new recycling scheme
In the UK, three billion coffee cups are used and thrown away every single year – and only 4 per cent of these are recycled.
In an attempt to tackle this issue, Bristol Waste Company installed cup recycling bins across the city in order to save thousands of disposable cups from ending up in the waste.
Since February, Bristol residents have 465,000 cups, which if placed end to end would run the length of the M32 seven times.
Thanks to the success of the scheme, additional recycling bins will be placed in the South West and will be seen in hospitals including the Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and the Bristol Eye Hospital.
Look out for the recycling bins, which are dotted around Bristol and the South West where you can add to the 465,000 cups already recycled.
Bristol Waste has also teamed up with Bristol City Council’s One Tree Per Child Bristol to plant a tree for every 10,000 cups recycled – meaning Bristol will see 50 new trees planted thanks to the recycling scheme.
A change in the weather isn’t going to stop anyone getting coffee to-go with friends these days. But if it comes in a single-use cardboard cup, make sure it ends up in one of our special cup bins. You can find them in high footfall areas of the city: https://t.co/qrw5MS773b pic.twitter.com/qdLbFBAHBf
— Bristol Waste (@BristolWaste) June 17, 2021
“While reusable cups are the most environmentally friendly choice, thousands of paper cups are still being used each year in Bristol and most aren’t recycled, Three in four people are still unaware that cups need to be collected separately from normal card and paper,” said Gwen Frost, who is the head of sustainability and innovation at Bristol Waste.
“Grabbing your reusable cup isn’t always the first thing on your mind when visiting a hospital, but a comforting cup of tea can make a huge difference. The new bins will help patients, visitors and staff take care of the environment, while the NHS take care of us”.
“Every paper cup placed in one of the easy-to-use bins will get a second life as high-quality paper, packaging and stationery products, and support us on our mission to help Bristol waste nothing.”
Main photo: Bristol Waste
Read more: Bristol Waste’s first reuse shop opens for business
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