Currently more than 99% of the ‘to-go’ paper cups used by Quick Service Restaurants — such as coffee shops and fast food restaurants —  go to landfill. With global usage estimated at 40 billion cups per year, over one million cups end up in landfill every minute. 

 

Paper coffee cups need a wax or plastic lining (typically polyethylene) to hold liquids. This also prevents them from being processed with other paper products. It is possible to separate these two materials within the recycling process. However, despite considerable effort from the major coffee outlet chains, it is not economically viable at current collection volumes .

 

Styrofoam or expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the other material widely used for 'to-go' cup. More than 96% of Styrofoam cups also become landfill. The reason for this is that it is not economically viable to collect cups that are 95% air.

 

Styrofoam is also damaging to the marine environment. Carried through drains to the sea, it breaks down into small indigestible pellets that birds and marine mammals often fatally mistake for food. So far more than 90 US cities have banned Styrofoam cups.

 

Consumers using ‘to-go’ coffee cups are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of the waste generated from their cups. The Quick Service Restaurants are under considerable pressure to demonstrate their corporate responsibility and provide a solution — or face a backlash from increasingly concerned customers.