The Paper Cup Alliance is working to increase paper cup recycling in the US.
All recycling depends on end markets for the materials and paper cups are no exception. Paper cups are made from fiber that is a desirable material for paper recycling mills. However, not all mills are able to separate the plastic coating found on cups that is used to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. The good news is that a growing number of mills can accept and process poly-coated cups when included in existing bales such as Sorted Office Paper (SOP), Residential Mixed Paper (R
Read more Q&A from AF&PA on the recyclability of paper cups here .