Grundon

Coffee cup recycling

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    Grundon telephone

    We guarantee to recycle 100% of your paper cups

    Our easy-to-use paper cup recycling service sends all your used paper cups for specialist reprocessing and turns them into recycled paper.

    No scheme membership fees

    Guarantees 100% paper cup recycling

    Option to buy back recycled paper

    Overcome the challenges of recycling your paper cups

    Paper cups have traditionally been difficult to recycle because they are made of paper which has a polyethylene film bonded to it. The film makes the cup waterproof and helps it to retain its structure, but it is also difficult for traditional recycling facilities to separate the paper from the polyethylene film.

    As a result, millions of paper cups a day go into general waste bins and are sent to landfill or Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities.

    Our cost-effective and hassle-free paper cup recycling service includes separate colour-coded bins, tailored collections to suit your needs and the peace of mind that you’ve chosen a greener alternative.

    Trusted partnership delivering excellence and innovation

    Our partnership with industry-specialist CupCyclingTM by James Cropper marries our extensive waste collection and disposal network with the latest technology in paper cup recycling.

    Working together, we provide customers with an innovative and tailored service, guaranteeing 100% recycling and the opportunity to buy office paper made from recycled cups – adding a very big tick in the box for closed loop recycling.

    Sustainable recycling

    Enhance your green credentials by buying paper made from recycled cups

    Available to everyone

    You don’t have to be a current customer to use our paper cup recycling service – it’s open to everyone

    Monthly reporting

    We provide regular statistics so you can see the environmental and financial benefits of recycling your paper cups

    We know paper cup recycling is a challenge – let us help you

    Paper cups are everywhere – from shopping centres to workplaces, everyone seems to carry around their favourite (skinny) latte or mochaccino.

    Usually thrown into general waste bins and sent for incineration or to landfill, paper cups have been notoriously difficult to recycle in the past.

    Grundon’s paper cup recycling service has changed all that. Expert advice, specially-designed bins, scheduled collections at a time and place to suit you – and the fact you only pay each time we collect – ensures you benefit from an affordable and efficient service that is best for the environment and best for you.

    Why choose Grundon?

    We collect 7 days a week

    Our dedicated paper cup recycling service operates 7 days a week, offering your business flexibility as well as sustainability

    We’re a member of the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group

    Grundon are a founding member of the the Paper Cup Recovery & Recycling Group, who exists to help develop recycling opportunities for paper cups and transform used paper cups into a valuable resource

    We’ll recycle 100% of your cups

    Working with industry-specialist CupCycling by James Cropper, we’ll recycle 100% of your waste cups with the option to buy back office paper made from recycled cups

    Our customer’s 
points of view

    “Grundon are a great help in providing the personal touch to their customers – us, in this case – and making us feel like we’re a valuable part of their business.”

    Jules Sayer

    Business Owner

    “Although we’ve all been on this journey together, each of our journeys have been different and whenever there were hurdles in the road, we all supported each other in ways we probably didn’t even realise at the time. So, for me it’s just great that we’ve been able to ‘graduate’ together.”

    Carla Hayden

    Technical Transport Coordinator

    “We believe Grundon will provide the insight and expert advice needed to enhance our recycling efforts and identify further improvements that support and reflect our worldwide conservation efforts, contributing to our mission of Saving Wildlife Together.”

    Jonathan Timney

    Director of Estates, Bristol Zoo

    “It is estimated that Metered Dose Inhalers currently contribute to approximately 4% of the carbon footprint of the NHS, therefore it is vital that we ensure inhalers we dispense are disposed of in the most appropriate way, such as through recycling methods provided by Grundon Waste Management.”

    Oliver Newman

    Assistant Divisional Manager, Swansea Bay University Health Board

    “Grundon have proven over the past three years to over deliver on services – they’re great at what they do and are ideal partners for us.”

    Neil Priscott

    Chief Operating Officer, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

    “The big thing to take away is to understand that data collection is really important and should be celebrated. The granular information we now have from Grundon – and our wider information around reducing carbon emissions – means we can present hard facts to our colleagues, providing the necessary impetus to effect change for the future. ”

    Peter Watts

    Rockvolt

    “Without being able to measure our food waste we would never have known how much there was. We see this as a positive because it has given us a target for the future. ”

    Keith Field

    Head of Soft Services, Sodexo

    “This was the first time we had tried to achieve net zero for a large enclosure and Grundon’s aspirations were far greater than ours. It was a real learning curve to see the results that could be achieved.”

    Keith Field

    Head of Soft Services, Sodexo

    “With Grundon, we saw an organisation that wanted to work with us, to challenge us rather than just do what we wanted. They came up with solutions that enabled us to start pushing boundaries, they understood what could be achieved, and have continued to demonstrate new ways of working that exceeded our goals.”

    Peter Watts

    Rockvolt – a specialist consultancy for stadia, venues and events who work closely with Ascot Racecourse

    “Having Grundon on board has given us more control of food waste from the restaurants and cafés, we can manage it more effectively and to the standards that need to be achieved.”

    Jamie Denney

    Sustainability champion and Site Centre Administrator, Rushden Lakes

    “I’m pleased to say that we have made a real difference. Although it is early days, we are confident we can save more money as we get better at segregation, and of course, it is better for the environment too.”

    Janka Penther

    Restaurant Manager, The Cotswold Plough Hotel

    “We have a significant number of outlets who serve coffee and other drinks in disposable paper cups so this move makes complete commercial sense for us and for our tenants. The opportunity to introduce paper cup recycling by Grundon means we divert the thousands of cups that would have ended up in general waste, into recycling and it really does tick all the boxes.”

    Cyrus Annan

    Centre Manager, London’s Bond Street Shopping Centre

    “Introducing mixed recycling meant Xscape Milton Keynes not only exceeded its recycling targets, but also reduced general waste collections by 50% and the implementation programme was cost-neutral due to increased rebates from recycling materials. ”

    Carl Meale

    General Manager, Xscape Milton Keynes

    “Grundon is giving us excellent support, both in practical terms and in helping to identify weaknesses and giving us and our tenants advice and awareness training.”

    Kirsty Pollard

    General Manager, Brighton Marina

    “We weren’t just looking for a waste company that could save us money, we wanted someone who would work with us throughout the journey to improve our environmental credentials.”

    Jamie Grierson

    Back of House and Logistics Manager, The Grove, luxury 5 star hotel

    “The expert guidance Grundon has given us over the years has been invaluable. With a venue like ours, it’s not just down to price, it’s about service as well and Grundon’s is second to none. We have never been let down and they have always been there for us.”

    Lee Howkins

    Venue Manager, Silverstone

    “The one single word that defines how I feel about Grundon is confidence – I have every confidence in their ability to do a job and deliver whatever we may ask of them. That’s why we enjoy working with them so much.”

    Alastair Williams

    JLL Procurement Category Manager – Soft Services

    “Grundon give advice and help solve any waste problems, the fact that they handle all of our waste streams means it is so much simpler for me to manage the contract.”

    Steve Sellwood

    Facilities Manager, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

    “I was happy to leave the operation in Grundon’s hands and they were brilliant and took care of everything. Nothing was too much trouble and that allowed us to focus on the business itself. ”

    Julien Abbott

    Director of TAAB Laboratories Equipment, speaking after a devastating fire at its premises.

    “For us, it’s about having the right partnerships and I find that Grundon always does the right thing in making sure we are compliant and giving expert advice rather than just trying to sell us something.”

    Bryan Edwards

    Professional & Services Warehouse Manager, BRITA UK

    Setting up your paper cup recycling service couldn’t be easier

    Setting up your paper cup recycling collections couldn’t be any easier. Simply follow these steps today and we’ll provide you with a professional, reliable and sustainable service.

    01

    Tell us about your waste

    Tell us about the quantity of waste paper cups your business generates or schedule a convenient time for one of our waste experts to carry out a free waste audit.

    02

    Get a quote

    We’ll provide you with a proposal for a bespoke waste management service which is tailored to meet the exact needs of your business.

    03

    Schedule your collections

    We’ll deliver your bins or containers, schedule your collections and start providing you with a first class paper cup recycling service – it’s that easy!

    Get a quote

    Get a quote

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      Grundon telephone

      The affordable and environmentally-friendly way to recycle your paper cups

      Our paper cup recycling service offers an affordable and environmentally-friendly way to meet your paper cup recycling needs.

      We recognise that many organisations work hard to reduce reliance on single-use paper cups and we work with customers to help manage awareness programmes, promoting the waste hierarchy through the use and purchase of reusable cups.

      Where making a change is not practical, our experts will provide advice on sourcing paper cups with the correct specification to enable 100% recycling.

      We can collect and recycle most types of paper cups:

      • We can recycle most polyethylene (PE) coated cups, including double-walled hot cups which are coated inside only (such as coffee cups used by high street chains such as Costa and Starbucks) and cold cups which are coated both inside and out (such as those used by McDonalds for serving soft drinks and milkshakes).
      • We can recycle most paper cups manufactured by Seda, Huhtamaki, Benders, Dart and IP.
      • We can recycle cups that are made of bleached fibres only. Unfortunately, we cannot recycle cups made with unbleached fibres.

      At the scheduled time, we’ll collect your waste coffee cups in one of our certified

      CarbonNeutral® collection vehicles, meaning that we do not add to your business’ carbon footprint. We then take them to a specialist cup recycling facility, where 100% of the cup is recycled leaving zero waste.

      We also provide monthly reports, full and transparent audit trails and statistics detailing the environmental and financial benefits of recycling paper cups – ensuring the environmental benefits can be publicised for everyone to see.

      Frequently asked questions

      Why do my paper cups need specialist recycling?

      Paper cups are made of two materials – paper and the polyethylene film which is bonded to it. This makes the cups waterproof and enables them to retain their shape and structural integrity when filled with liquids. However, it is the bonding between these two materials that makes it difficult to separate the paper fibres from the polyethylene film.

      Only a select few specialist recycling facilities have the technology to accept paper cups for recycling which means most disposable paper cups are placed into general waste bins and either sent to landfill or incinerated at an Energy from Waste facility.

      What bins will I need and what do I have to do?

      Paper cups need to be recycled separately from other waste, so we deliver specially-designed internal paper cup recycling bins with clear instructions about how to recycle.

      Each bin has a removable 7.5 litre central reservoir where excess liquid should be poured into before disposing of the empty cups, and there’s also a specially-designed side pod for the disposal of lids, stirrers, tea bags, etc. These are collected and disposed of separately as general waste.

      The bins are designed to allow the collection and stacking of used paper cups and they come with bespoke certified CarbonNeutral® waste sacks (made from sugarcane polymers) as liners, so they are easy to empty and keep clean.

      Once the bin is full, pop the waste sack with the cups into one of our colour-coded external cup recycling bins, where they can be stored until your next scheduled collection.

      Depending on the quantities of waste paper cups your business is producing and the frequency of collections, we have a variety of bin sizes, including 240 litre wheeled bins, and 660 litre and 1100 litre drop-fronted wheeled containers for larger quantities.

      What happens to my paper cups?

      The ‘clean’ waste paper cups are taken back to one of our Materials Recovery Facilities for processing and baling. This ensures that the material is of the highest quality before being sent onwards to our partner, industry-specialist CupCyclingTM by James Cropper for recycling.

      James Cropper will then process the waste paper cups, recycling 100% of the materials, leaving zero waste.

      Approximately 90% of the material will be paper, which will be converted back into Forest Stewardship Council (FCS) certified paper fibre. The remaining 10% is made up of the plastic polymers from the polyethylene film and will be sent for reprocessing into insulation for electrical cabling.

      Can I really buy back paper made from paper cups?

      Yes. The paper cup recycling service ensures waste paper cups are given a new life as a variety of paper products.

      For example, a sheet of 380gsm paper is made of five paper cups, so you can order paper products for your business, such as 100% recycled 80gsm office paper.

      By doing so, you complete a closed-loop recycling system that helps to enhance your environmental credentials.

      How can you help me encourage staff and visitors to recycle their paper cups?

      The more people engage with a project, the better the results, so we go to great lengths to help educate employees and others about the correct segregation and benefits of recycling paper cups.

      We work with you to devise a bespoke communications programme to meet your needs, providing information and practical advice, such as clear signage, posters and events such as Waste Awareness Days.

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