4 Aces and Smart Planet Technologies trials reCUP
BY: LIZ TAYLOR
4 Aces, a member of the Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group (PCRRG), will partner with Smart Planet Technologies to trial its reCUP, a paper cup designed to be recycled, for use in the UK Vending market to address the issues with the recycling of paper cups.
Smart Planet Technologies of Newport Beach California has created the reCUP, a new type of paper cup, engineered for recycling and commercially available today in the US. The paper cup looks the same and works the same, but the coating is blended with minerals to reduce the plastic content by 40% and to make the cup compatible with standard recycling equipment. These cups then become a valuable material to collect and the recycling industry can go about the processes to recover them and recycle them profitably for use in recycled paperboard packaging.
“We have been looking for the most efficient way to resolve the problem of recycling paper cups and a new cup that can be processed through existing recycling equipment is a big first step in the right direction,” says Chris Penn, managing director of 4 Aces. “4 Aces is committed to greater sustainability in disposable packaging and we’re excited to see if we have found the missing piece when it comes to getting paper cups recycled effectively.”
“The first step in solving the paper cup recycling problem is to give the recycling industry a paper cup worth recycling”, says Will Lorenzi, President of Smart Planet Technologies. “We have been impressed by the commitment and effort by 4 Aces to lead on this issue on behalf of the industry and for the UK.”
Paper cups are a convenient, environmental packaging solution for coffee however the cups have a plastic liner coating on the interior to protect the paper from the liquid in the cup. The plastic liner coating is incompatible with paper recycling systems, so paper cups are generally sorted for landfill. It is estimated that more than 2.5 billion coffee cups are disposed of in the UK every year.
4 Aces was a participant in the release of the Paper Cup Manifesto, a statement of commitment by industry leaders to address the issue of recycling of paper cups, as highlighted on Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s War on Waste documentary, broadcast by the BBC. (read previous article on PV here )
For further information on 4 Aces and its products, visit the company’s website or call 01992 535774.
