Costa promises to recycle as many coffee cups as it sells by 2020
The coffee giant will encourage waste collection firms to collect the cups by offering them more cash
THE UK's largest coffee shop chain has pledged to recycle as many disposable cups as it sells by 2020 in an effort to slash the number sent to landfill.
Costa Coffee said it will recycle up to 500million disposable coffee cups a year, including those from other retailers to match the number it hands out - and has urged other chains to do the same.
There is growing pressure to tackle the 2.5billion disposable coffee cups which Brits chuck away every year, with almost all of them incinerated, exported or sent to landfill.
But Costa said it was a "misconception" that the problem with recycling cups was because their plastic lining was difficult to separate from the cardboard.
It has claimed it is instead to do with their collection once customers had thrown them into recycling bins.
The move comes after its own voluntary recycling scheme flopped, with less than 3 per cent of its 500million sold cups - 14 million - brought back and recycled between February 2017 and 2018.
He said: "We can’t force customers to bring them back.
"We have realised that we have to do something much more significant."
Grundon's sales and marketing director, Bradley Smith, added: "Costa are helping to create the right conditions where paper cups can become a valuable recycled material.
"This provides increased stability and confidence in the market, which will help waste management companies like Grundon to extend paper cup recycling services to more customers."
Last month ministers were accused of inaction over litter after the Government failed to give its backing to calls for a 25p "latte levy" on disposable coffee cups.
The 25p charge was the standout recommendation from a cross-party committee of MPs, who said cash raised could pay for improved recycling facilities.
Many chains are already selling reusable cups to help cut down on waste - and you can find out which the best ones are here.
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