by Brianna Crandall — August 8, 2014—Facilities services provider ISS U.K. is now a Founding Member of the “Simply Cups” paper cup recycling collection and recycling service, a partnership between Closed Loop Environmental Solutions and Simply Waste Solutions to be launched August 1, 2014, that may set the pace for other regions as well.
Simply Cups will provide paper cup manufacturers, organizations operating in the supply chain, and beverage and hospitality outlets, with a cost-efficient collection and recycling service that will reduce operating costs and improve environmental credentials. The initiative intends to help recycle the 2.5 billion paper cups that are sent to landfill or incinerated every year in the United Kingdom.
The new membership-based program already has a number of high-profile Founding Members in addition to ISS U.K., including national retailer John Lewis Partnership, festival events management company Festival Republic, and catering firm Baxter Storey. Cup manufacturers Huhtamaki and Solo Cup Europe, plus prominent industry associations including WRAP, Keep Britain Tidy, and the Automated Vending Association are also key supporters.
The service will operate initially within the M25 and Thames Valley area, but is expected to quickly evolve into a nationwide service. Founding Members will initially employ the program at their key locations. ISS will offer the scheme to its many clients across London and the South East.
Closed Loop’s Peter Goodwin urged all organizations involved in the drinks, catering and hospitality sectors to sign up for the program, saying, “At long last there is a robust scheme in place for companies, who recognize the commercial value of taking their corporate social and environmental responsibilities seriously, to address the increasingly difficult issue of cup recycling.”
