1. Are paper cups recyclable?

Yes, Paper Cups can and are being recycled.

Paper cup recycling has been considered to require a specialist process at paper mills, restricting the opportunities for recycling. Through the actions of the PCRRG and its’ members this has been shown not to be the case. There are now four facilities in England re-pulping paper coffee cups using both batch and continuous reprocessing systems.

In order to ensure the used cups are received by the paper mills in the best condition for recycling they should be places in segregated waste streams by the consumer once they are finished with. The segregated waste stream also ensures that it can be taken to one of the four mills re-pulping cups, or to the facilities processing them into novel plastics.

2. What are paper cups made from?

Paper cups are generally 95% (by weight) paper or card and 5% a thin coating. The coating is bonded to the cup in order to prevent the cardboard fibre from absorbing liquid contained within the cup and therefore becoming wet and collapsing. Polyethylene plastic (PE) is the most prevalent coating material.

3. What materials do you use to manufacture your cups?

Benders Paper Cups are manufactured from Virgin SBS (Solid Bleached Sulphate) paper cupboard with a PE (Polyethylene) lining. The paper board comes from trees grown in sustainable forests. The board weight and thickness varies according to the size of the cup.