Previously, it has only been possible to recycle the plastic lids and sleeves. However, we have now teamed up with Simply Cups, the only company in the UK that has the facilities to recycle takeaway coffee cups, to give peace of mind to students and staff that the whole cup will be recycled.

The idea was originally generated by BedsSU, through the Sustainability Steering Group, who were keen to do more to recycle the staggering 110,000 coffee cups that we get through across our campuses every year.

“Our current waste provider is unable to recycle coffee cups due to a plastic lining in the paper cup. The cups then end up being sent to ‘waste to energy’ incineration plants and the energy generated from incineration is then fed back into the National Grid” said Adam Higgin, our Head of Environmental Strategy and Sustainability.

Adam continued: “However, the Sustainability Steering Group were keen to do more and after some searching, we are delighted to have finally found a company that can now recycle the whole cup.”

Michael Wigg, CEO of Beds SU, told us why this was such an important issue for our students: “From recent surveys and focus groups, we know that recycling is hot topic and that our students would like to see the University do more, particularly in regard to coffee cups. We were keen to make a change and we are delighted that a solution has now been found.”

Look out for the new recycle bins

Special bins will now be available from August (photo) at café areas such as the Metro Bar in Luton and the Hub in Bedford as well as cafes in Bedford Gateway and the Library in Luton.

The materials recovered from our coffee cup recycling are used to make new products. You can find out more about Simply Cups here

If you have any specific questions about recycling then please contact Adam Higgin at adam.higgin@beds.ac.uk

Did you know that we also recycle the waste coffee grinds? These are sent along with our food waste, to an anaerobic digestion plant (owned by Bio-Gen) which creates methane. The methane is used to make electricty that is then fed into the National Grid.