Zeus has launched the first nationwide infrastructure to recycle every type of paper coffee cup in Ireland with the Coffee Cup Recycling Scheme.
The initiative is an exclusive partnership in Ireland with sustainable packaging and recycling company DS Smith.
The AIL Group, the retail group behind Abrakebabra, the Bagel Factory and the O’Briens sandwich chain, has signed on as the first customer of the scheme, the Irish-owned global packaging company said.
The coffee cup collection boxes will be rolled out to 80 O’Briens and Bagel Factory outlets nationwide from January 2020, the company said.
“This is the solution to the problem of every coffee cup in Ireland – a complete, closed-loop system which has the capacity to recycle every type of paper coffee cup from every coffee shop, office or workplace,” said Brian O’Sullivan, owner of Zeus.
Coffee Cup Levy
The group explained that at a cost of 7c per cup, the scheme collects coffee cups nationwide from participants for recycling, using specially designed cardboard coffee cup collection boxes.
The announcement comes as a solution for the Government, which recently announced plans for a coffee cup levy of up to 25c from 2021.
The proposed levy has been criticised by some retailers and environmental groups as it doesn’t address the correct disposal of recyclable and compostable coffee cups.
O'Sullivan highlighted, "as has been flagged by the Government, environmental groups, retailers and consumers, proper recycling infrastructure that ensures these cups don’t end up in landfills is not in place."
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
