For many, coffee is how we start the day, but what happens to our paper coffee cups after we dispose of them? Well, many of these coffee cups, along with other containers are shipped to landfills – representing both a massive environmental problem and a missed opportunity.
As the recycling process and technology have advanced, the opportunity to recycle paper coffee cups has become more accessible. Jim Schneider, Vice President of Operations at Sustana Fiber, recently spoke with Triple Pundit about the scalability of coffee cup recycling and the role of consumer education.
Jim pointed out that the issue is not only the improved technology needed to separate plastic materials from paper in these containers but also the availability of manufacturing facilities that are able to reclaim the fiber. For years, Sustana Fiber has invested in innovation that has allowed it to recycle these types of containers at its facilities. The bottom line is that aiming for more circularity with single-use paper coffee cups and other containers is a vastly more sustainable option than sending them to the landfill – this technology can absolutely scale.