The Cup Collective, a European programme for recycling and capturing the value of used paper cups at an industrial scale, launched its activities in Brussels. The programme aims at collecting used paper cups in specially designed collection bags, recycling and repurposing them into secondary, high-quality items.
The Cup Collective hosted a breakfast panel discussion to present its project at Le Grand Central in Brussels. The event was well attended by its business partners, representatives from the HORECA sector, transportation services, waste collectors and management services, packaging industry, as well as specialised press.
Peter Goodwin, Managing Director and Co-founder of co-cre8, who are managing The Cup Collective development, welcomed everyone to the event commenting that:
“Bringing industry together to make a truly industrial scale and viable programme in The Cup Collective has seen true collaboration across the industry, we are now looking forward to seeing it grow and expand to show the true circularity of paper cups and capturing their value”.
Panellists shared their perspectives on recycling and the vast benefits that The Cup Collective’s solution can unlock. From detailing the ease of use for busy commuters to the mechanics behind the simple to use systems, each speaker highlighted the importance of the programme, and their visions for the future of recycling that the scheme has facilitated.
Speaking on the successful launch in Brussels of The Cup Collective, Jeroen Alting von Geusau, Head of Sustainability of National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) said:
“Today, The Cup Collective went live with the support of many companies from all around Brussels. The event demonstrated the importance of such initiatives. The Cup Collective is a trial for SNCB in two of our railway stations to test how we can collect used cups for recycling. We hope that this trial can be the beginning of an incentive for our customer and supplier to recycle every cup.“
Having taken part in the panel discussion, Floor Uitterhoeve, Sustainability Director for Europe at McDonald’s stated:
“We are excited to participate in The Cup Collective initiative. At McDonald’s, we support innovation that allows better collection, sorting, treatment, and processing of different fibres into new quality products. Waste streams can be efficiently repurposed with the right interventions. While we embark on this journey with other industry leaders, we are confident this programme will contribute to retaining more value from the waste streams disposed of in the public space.”
Erwin Wetzel, Director General of European Vending and Coffee Service Association (EVA) also commented on the launch of The Cup Collective, saying:
“We are excited to be partnering with many other fantastic businesses to unlock the vast potential of used paper cups. The bag collecting and tracking technology make this programme a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of the solution to paper cup recycling. The success of The Cup Collective launch highlights the amazing potential of this initiative to spread across Belgium and Europe; now is the time to get involved and join the movement.“
On the day of the event, SEDA International Packaging group, one of the leading companies that provide innovative sustainable packaging solutions, decided to also be part of The Cup Collective initiative.
“We are delighted to join such an important initiative for the future of the circular economy. Now that the necessary groundwork has been put in place, we must take advantage of the vast potential paper cups hold as a secondary raw material and facilitate the mass recycling of a product with so many potential uses. Paper cups are fully recyclable, and The Cup Collective takes care that each and one of them is effectively recycled and transformed into high-quality products.”, Armando Mariano, R&D Material & Product Director at SEDA International.
With The Cup Collective bins already installed across Brussels and set to expand across Belgium and into the Netherlands, now is the time for more companies to take part in this cutting-edge programme to capture the actual value of used paper cups and unlock their potential secondary usages. For more information and to become part of the programme contact co-cre8 via The Cup Collective, or visit https://thecupcollective.eu