Tee Cee’s Tip
DEAR TEE CEE >> Why can’t I recycle the coffee cups? Aren’t they just made from paper? What about compostable coffee cups?
— Frankie
DEAR FRANKIE >> Thank you for knowing disposable paper coffee and drink cups are not recyclable or compostable in Boulder County. Here’s why that’s the case: Paper cups aren’t just made from paper. The vast majority of coffee cups have a thin plastic coating (often one you can’t detect) on the inside of the cup to prevent it from leaking. Unfortunately, that plastic lining also prevents the paper from pulping up in the recycling process, so paper recycling markets don’t like plastic-coated paper. For this reason, the Boulder County Recycling Center doesn’t accept paper coffee cups, ice cream containers, frozen food boxes and most paper takeout food containers, as they are all plastic-coated.
Even if a coffee cup is certified compostable, it is no longer accepted in your curbside compost cart. A few months ago, the Front Range’s largest composter (the destination for most of the compost collected in Boulder County) simplified its guidelines to food scraps and yard trimmings only; certified compostable products like cups and plates are no longer accepted.
The shift to simplified guidelines was made, in part, because consumers had a hard time telling the difference between a truly certified compostable product and a plasticcoated look-alike product since there is no standardized labeling to clearly identify compostable products.
But that is going to change in Colorado. Senate Bill 253 creates standards for products that are marketed or represented as being compostable. Under the new law, manufacturers may not claim their product is compostable unless that claim is validated by a third party that follows new labeling guidelines to make it clear to the consumer that the product is compostable.
Please note: Compostable paper cups are not recyclable, as the plantbased polymer coating is designed for the composting process and still cannot be separated from paper fibers in the recycling process.
The best option for sustainably purchasing your favorite drinks on the go is to find a durable, reusable mug or cup. Bonus tip: Insulated cups and mugs keep your drink hot or cold for much, much longer than disposable cups. It might take a few tries to get into the habit of washing out your reusable mug and remembering to bring it to a cafe to be filled, but you’ll find that getting into the habit is easy. Imagine how much money (and waste) a cafe could save in a day if 90% of the customers brought their own cups! — Tee Cee
Learn more about why some products are (or are not) recyclable or compostable. Call Eco-cycle at 303-444-6634, email recycle@ecocycle.org, or visit ecocycle.org.