The paper and card manufacturer has partnered with local waste firms Cumbria Waste and New Horizon Plastics in North Wales to recycle the plastic cup liners.

James Cropper used to burn the plastic, which makes up 5% of each cup, for energy recovery in its recycled paper stream.

Rob Tilsley, James Cropper’s fibre operations group leader, said: “Recognising value in the high quality fibre used to create paper cups, we were inspired to convert this enormous waste stream into a value stream instead, and now we’ve taken it even further. 

“New Horizon Plastics, one of the best plastic reprocessing companies in the UK, has the capability to shred, wash and turn the cup’s waste plastic into pellet form. 

“Processing around 155 tonnes of plastic every day, the clean plastic pellets eventually end up in a range of products such as bags and wraps to plastic gates, animal pens and grain stores.”

Tilsley added that the firm has added 40% to its CupCycling plant's capacity, allowing it to recycle up to 700 million cups a year.

The manufacturer has accordingly expanded its paper cup collection zone, too.

James Cropper has likewise recently commissioned new packaging for its products.

The new wrap, made of 30% recycled plastic, has a high stretch factor, allowing the manufacturer to reduce the amount of wrap it uses by a third.

It has already put in motion plans to up the recycled content of the wrap to 50%, exceeding April 2022’s legal requirement of 30%.

Tilsley added: “This work is the result of some fantastic collaborations with partners that have helped us achieve our pledge to the Ellen MacArthur Global Commitment to work to accelerate the transition to a more effective circular economy.”