Costa Coffee and McDonald’s are joining forces with Roadchef to co-fund a cup recycling programme across the motorway service operator’s estate.
The tie-up will see the three companies install 65 new recycling points, which are designed by Unisan UK, across all 30 Roadchef sites.
Its service areas see over 50 million visitors every year, which the businesses said presented a “massive opportunity” to accelerate cup recycling on the go while tackling roadside litter.
Consumers can use the new units to separate their cups, lids, and any leftover drinks before sending them off for recycling. Cups will then be backhauled via Costa Coffee’s stores and sent to specialist recycling facilities to be recycled into new products, such as reusable cups or new paper packaging.
Cups from any brand – not just McDonald’s and Costa – can be recycled using the system.
“At Costa Coffee, we are focused on championing sustainable solutions for cups and packaging, and want to work with other leading brands to drive positive change for the environment,” said Costa Coffee sustainability lead Laurence Webb.
“This exciting project helps us deliver on both aims and we’re looking forward to seeing how consumers respond so we can further optimise and boost recycling across the country.”
McDonald’s senior sustainability consultant Helen McFarlane said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with our partners on this exciting project. We are committed to making it even easier for on-the-go consumers to give their cups a second life, and this is the next step on that journey.
“We hope that, by putting these highly visible bins in some of our most visited locations, we can get the message out there that coffee cups can be recycled, and we will be continue to encourage people to return their cups to our restaurants across the country.”
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