Regency Design Supports Circular Economy with Bespoke Coffee Cup Recycling

Phil Black - PII Editor 29/04/2021

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Regency Design, the British design and manufacturing specialist, has designed and produced a coffee cup recycling bin to help reduce the country’s waste and to support its customers who are looking for a more sustainable business model.

Paper cups can be easily recycled, but their plastic lining, which stops liquids from leaking, does mean they need to be separated from other recyclable materials. It is this need for separation which prompted Regency to create the bespoke recycling units, which include separate compartments for liquids, cups and lids.

Once in place, the collected cups are recycled and upcycled into reusable cups and other products such as tissue and packaging, thus reducing waste and encouraging a circular economy.

The solution is already being implemented by some of the UK’s best-known brands – and originators of the coffee cups, including Costa and Pret a Manger, who are taking a responsible approach to recycling and supporting a circular economy. Network Rail, which sees first-hand the volume of waste produced from commuters journeying through its stations, has also taken steps to improve recycling with the use of Regency’s separation bins for its Sip, Save and Recycle scheme to make stations greener.

A YouGov study, commissioned by Network Rail, found that the majority of Network Rail users want to recycle their paper coffee cups but don’t know how, with 58% using either a waste bin or a general recycling bin, despite these systems being unable to manage paper cups.

Zak Manhire, Chief Commercial Officer at Regency Design, says the solution demonstrates Regency’s creative capabilities: “The work we do is all about providing innovative solutions to the problems that our customers face, along with the country as a whole. In this instance, it means creating a product that allows coffee sippers to quickly separate the parts of the coffee cup, so that their waste can be recycled. Our solution does this and allows for quick and easy collection in high footfall areas such as train stations and coffee shops.”

“The UK was making good progress with the adoption of reusable coffee cups, but COVID-19 safety concerns will no doubt hinder this progress, and with Britain getting through an estimated 2.5 billion cups a year it is encouraging to see big brands adopting a more sustainable approach to cup waste.”

The coffee cup recycling bins are fully brandable.

www.regencydesign.co.uk