Coffee drinkers ‘duped’ over recyclable cups

COFFEE chains have been accused of “duping” their customers into thinking their cups can be easily recycled, MPS have said.

Members of the Commons environmental audit committee said that coffee shops were “misleading” their customers by including recycling logos on their cups.

While the cups are “technically” recyclable, they contain a layer of plastic which means that they are rejected by most paper mills.

Mary Creagh, a Labour MP and the chairman of the committee, said: “The coffee shops have been duping us. They [the cups] have the Keep Britain Tidy logo on.”

Zac Goldsmith, a Tory MP, said: “A Which? report found eight in 10 people think coffee cups are routinely recycled. That seems to be because of the fact that the industry... promotes the idea they are recyclable. We know technically that’s true, but in practice that’s not true – only 1 per cent are recycled.”

Mr Goldsmith asked Martin Kersh, the executive director of the Foodservice Packaging Association: “Do you not think the industry has a responsibility to convey an accurate impression of the situation? By extension do you accept the industry has misled, and continues to mislead people?”

Mr Kersh responded: “As an industry we genuinely don’t want to mislead anyone. I’m not sure the public need to know about the complexities of why a cup can or can’t be recycled. I think what the public want is somewhere to place their cups with the sure knowledge something positive will happen to them.”

Keep Britain Tidy suggested that a “coffee cup tax” of 50p could encourage people to turn to reusable cups.

Richard Mcilwain, its deputy chief executive, said a survey of 2,000 people found that “very few people would be willing to pay anything over 50p”. He said: “It suggests there’s a price point in people’s heads at which there may be a trigger such that it becomes beneficial to bring the refillable cup.”