DS Smith Expands Coffee Cup Recycling Programme to Europe

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): DS Smith announced expansion of its coffee cup recycling programme to Europe through its De Hoop Mill in the Netherlands. The company had earlier completed a successful trial of the programme at the facility.

The launch aims to recycle the nearly 4.5 billion disposable coffee cups consumed by the region, which are currently either thrown into landfills or are incinerated. The company hopes to tackle Europe’s coffee cup waste crisis through its network of fourteen mills across the Europe. According to end-2018 estimates, Europe accounts for approximately 30% of the global coffee market.

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DS Smith had initially launched the coffee cup recycling programme at its Kemsley Paper Mill in the UK. The Coffee Cup Drop Boxes, made out of 100% recyclable materials, had the capacity to hold up to 700 used cups. Once full, DS Smith used to collect these cups to its paper mills for recycling. As a result of the programme, coffee cup recycling in the UK witnessed tremendous jump from 1 in 400 to 1 in 25 cups over the past couple of years, figures say.

Miles Roberts, Group CEO of DS Smith commented that the company is proud to export its successful recycling formula to Europe. He called upon the support of governments to deal with supply issues and ensure that consumers are educated to deposit coffee cups in separate recycling bins.