With OPRL (On Pack Recycling Label) launching a new binary labeling system recently for the majority of packaging – i.e. ‘Recycle’ or ‘Don’t Recycle’ – it is widely believed the new system combined with the newly developed recycling rules for the UK market will give greater transparency on the final fate of packaging, highlighting what gets sorted and what gets reprocessed.

Paper cups, though, will have their own specialist recycling label to support the wide range of UK paper cup recycling programs including in store and on-street, office, workplace and industry collections by waste contractors, bring banks and post-back schemes.

Plastic Free World Conference & Expo exhibitor Huhtamaki designs products with circular economy and recyclability in mind and continuously works toward a more sustainable world by paying attention to material choices, helping in building waste collection infrastructure and by guiding people as to how to correctly dispose of our food packaging materials to minimize environmental impact and use of resources.

The step to provide clear and transparent information on the final fate of packaging is a welcome move, believes Huhtamaki, and giving paper cups their own specialist recycling label will help improve the recycling rates and re-usability of the materials.

“This initiative is the result of a collective effort from various stakeholders in the industry coming together to ensure that the collection infrastructure, recycling facilities and awareness to improve recycling of paper cups is provided to people in a transparent manner,” said Neil Whittall, category director for Specialty Coffee at Huhtamaki.

Huhtamaki paper cups can take this label into use in the coming months. It will be clear to people that they can recycle their used paper cup at any of the participating stores or one of the collection schemes now in place.

“We know there is still work to do to increase paper cup recycling and we will continue to work with our customers, partners and collection services to improve awareness and promote recycling as well as the circular economy,” Whittall concluded.

Plastic Free World Conference & Expo 2020 will take place at Cologne Messe, Germany, on Tuesday 16 June and Wednesday 17 June. To register for this highly focused, solutions-driven event, please click . For sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please email peter@trans-globalevents.com