Reusable-Cups-horizontal-2024-small

Worldwide plastic is being dumped at a rate equivalent to 1 bag every 60 seconds.

Only 30% of discarded plastic floats or washes up on a beach.

More than 50% of sea turtles have consumed plastic.

100,000 marine animals die from plastic every year.

In less than 30 years, there will be more plastic in the ocean than marine life.

0
billion
tonnes of plastic produced in the last 60 years
0
million
tonnes of single use plastic produced every year
0
million
plastic cups are used at events every year
0
million
tonnes of plastic was dumped in our oceans in 2017

What happens to the UK’s plastic waste?

  • In 2017, China banned all imports of waste plastic, surrounding countries took up the mantle without the proper infrastructure.
  • In the 12 months to Oct 2018, the UK exported 168,000 tonnes of plastic waste to Malaysia and Indonesia alone.
  • Indonesia is the worlds 2nd largest contributor for disposing of plastic waste in the ocean.
  • In the past 12 months, Malaysia has sent back 42 containers of plastic back to the UK.

Other important facts to consider...

Whilst single use cups are convenient for outdoor areas, festivals and events with glass restrictions, they and plastic bottles are some of the highest contributors to plastic waste we throw away.

Paper cups whilst taking less time to breakdown, are lined with plastic to make them waterproof, which means they are very difficult to recycle, if at all. 2.5 billion disposable paper cups are used each year in the UK alone, this is the equivalent to 1.1 million trees. 1 tree absorbs 48lbs of C02 each year, this calculates to 24,340 tonnes of C02 a year in the UK, not absorbed.

Both of these cups also carry a high carbon footprint, due to the travel across the EU to facilitate any effective waste management.

What makes us different?

The Reusable Cup Company is a UK manufacturer of reusable plastic cups, giving our cups the lowest carbon footprint in the UK. We are also the only manufacturer of cups to give a guaranteed full cup recycle promise.

Union-Jack-ident

Our reusable cups are manufactured to the highest CE standards in our UK based production centre.

Reusable cups are filled, used and washed. This can be repeated more than 100 times during the life cycle of the cup.

Once our cups have come to the end of their reusable life, they are milled back to granules and made into products such as keg caps.

Products like keg caps can be used, collected and milled back time after time, ensuring the full circle use and recycling of the plastic.

We can go further in reducing plastic waste

By purchasing our cups and being part of our full management service, you give us the opportunity to reduce even more single use plastic, in the UK.

  • We collect used keg caps from pubs, clubs, arenas, festivals and more. Where our reusable cups are collected, so are keg caps.
  • These used caps go back to the same facility as our wash plant, based in the East Midlands.
  • The caps are then milled back to granules ready to be made into new ones, saving even more plastic waste from your business.
  • Approximately 175 tonnes of plastic are used each year to make keg caps in the UK.

Help us replace 1 million single use cups with Reusable cups and...

0
tonnes
reduction in carbon emissions
0
tonnes
saved in waste alone
0
years
worth of energy for the average UK household

The facts - single use cups vs reusable cups

Paper cup (waterproof lined)Plastic cup (single-use)
Reusable plastic cups
Uses recyclable materialsNoNoYes
Recycled>1%0-34%100%
To landfill or incineration66-100%66-100%Zero
Number of times re-usedZeroZero100+
Carbon footprint per Pint Cup (CO2e)17.2(g)70(g)168(g)
Carbon footprint per 100 Pint Cups (CO2e)1,720(g)
7000(g)844.13(g)
Raw material per cup (g)11.8(g)20(g)45(g)
Waste material per 100 uses (g)1180(g)2000(g)Zero

Data sources
Plastics in the Ocean, www.condorferries.co.uk. China Import Ban, en.wikipedia.org. Environment Agency packaging database, via www.bbc.co.uk. www.telegraph.co.uk. Bath inventory of carbon and energy, LCA calculator, www.packagingenvironmental.co.uk, www.greenmatch.co.uk and www.urbanforestrynetwork.org.