Costa and McDonald’s team up with Roadchef

Costa Coffee and McDonald’s UK are joining with Roadchef to co-fund a cup recycling programme at all 30 of the motorway service area operator’s sites across the UK. It is the latest project run by members of the National Cup Recycling Scheme, which aims to accelerate takeaway cup recycling across the UK.

The three businesses say they are coming together to demonstrate the power partnerships have in achieving circular solutions for packaging waste. By introducing 65 new recycling units, they aim to show how easy it is to recycle takeaway cups and help consumers play their part. They hope other businesses will follow their lead to unlock the huge potential for cup recycling on-the-go.

Consumers can use the new units to easily separate their cups, lids and any leftover drinks before sending them off for recycling. Cups will then be backhauled via Costa Coffee’s stores and sent to specialist recycling facilities to be recycled into new products, such as reusable cups and new luxury paper packaging.

Laurence Webb, Costa Coffee’s sustainability lead, said: “We are focused on championing sustainable solutions for cups and packaging, and want to work with other leading brands to drive positive change for the environment. This exciting project helps us deliver on both aims, and we’re looking forward to seeing how consumers respond so we can further optimise and boost recycling across the country.”

Helen McFarlane, senior sustainability consultant for McDonald’s, added: “We are committed to making it even easier for on-the-go consumers to give their cups a second life, and this is the next step on that journey. We hope that, by putting these highly visible bins in some of our most visited locations, we can get the message out there that coffee cups can be recycled; and we will continue to encourage people to return their cups to our restaurants across the country.”

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