Every single-use “paper” cup has a thin plastic (PP or PLA) lining making them suitable for hot beverages. While this lining provides the ultimate in convenience, it requires a specialist process to separate it during recycling. The net result is that the vast majority of single-use cups, compostable or otherwise, will end up as landfill.
The “paper feel” of a single-use cup still gives many the mistaken belief that they belong with paper recycling. This ultimately leads to contamination of the waste stream. For compostable cups to be successfully composted, they also require a separate waste stream. While they may be compostable, without the correct end-of-life separation, the vast majority end up in general waste.
Sporadic legislative attempts in many markets over the past decade has led to significant confusion among vendors and consumers alike. Reuse trials by large-scale vendors have also shown promise, however some continue to play both sides of the coin. What started as a social ground swell in 2017 has been overshadowed by other, more newsworthy feed, while the single-use cup mountain gets bigger.
It took two years to perfect but in early 2014, Ecoffee Cup was born. Making its debut at Autumn Fair, the response was hugely positive, but not necessarily for the reasons we had hoped. While everyone loved our colours and patterns, most didn’t think single-use was a problem; even fewer believed that cafes would welcome reusables. But some saw the true postential, with Loughborough University and Eden Project being some of our early adopters.
It wasn’t until 2016 that things really started to move in the right direction. As part of his War on Waste program, TV personality Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shone a long-overdue spotlight on the enormous problem of single-use waste. Finally, the penny started to drop! For the first time, reuse had permeated both media and political realms.
A decade on and things have come a long way – at least in some respect. We’ve been in Vogue, in Forbes, in parliament, on Ted Lasso, Love Island and Emmerdale – and even in the Daily Mail! We’ve been cloned, copied, called out, pilloried – and even named one of Oprah’s Christmas Favorites. And together we’ve saved over 250m single-use cups from landfill.
Sadly, we don’t feel like we’ve come close. Reuse rates remain stubbornly stuck – even in decline in some markets. COVID was a near-fatal blow and ever since, lobbying against reuse has been fierce. It’s not quite what we envisaged moving into our second decade. But with every good fight comes resolution. Now is the time to push forward and make a real difference.
Our focus remains on broadening our church to a mainstream audience, many of whom are yet to engage with the issue. The signs are positive but the next few years are critical; every decision, no matter how small, counts towards creating the future we all want. Every again is again.
Starting any business is hard enough. But starting it with your partner in a rural Italian village with two young kids and impossibly slow internet requires a degree of patience and commitment rarely seen.
David and Ali McLagan founded Ecoffee Cup in early 2014, driven by their revelation that “paper” to-go cups weren’t recyclable. David – an advertising Creative Director – and Ali, coming from large-scale manufacturing, launched the brand after pivoting from their careers while living in rural Italy. The original Ecoffee Cup, made from composite materials, gained traction with early partners including Loughborough University and Eden Project.
Moving the business back to London in 2017, together, they’ve built a vibrant, impact-focused brand, scaling through commercial partnerships and an unwavering mission to reduce single-use waste and normalise reuse – internet speeds notwithstanding.
Starting any business is hard enough. But starting it with your partner in a rural Italian village with two young kids and impossibly slow internet requires a degree of patience and commitment rarely seen.
David and Ali McLagan founded Ecoffee Cup in early 2014, driven by their revelation that “paper” to-go cups weren’t recyclable. David – an advertising Creative Director – and Ali, coming from large-scale manufacturing, launched the brand after pivoting from their careers while living in rural Italy. The original Ecoffee Cup, made from composite materials, debuted at Birmingham’s Autumn Fair and gained traction with early partners including Loughborough University and Eden Project.
Moving the business back to London in 2017, together, they’ve built a vibrant, impact-focused brand, scaling through commercial partnerships and an unwavering mission to reduce single-use waste and normalise reuse – internet speeds notwithstanding.
