OUR STORY
We see a world where people can enjoy everyday activities without concern for harming our planet.
Where living sustainably is simple and our behaviours become a tool for change.
THE CHALLENGE
Whether it’s our morning wake-up (or afternoon pick-me-up), catch-ups with friends or a momentary escape from the world around us, coffee plays a big part in many of our lives. It also plays a big part in the amount of waste we produce, with millions of takeaway cups being sent to landfill every year.
Reusable cups are growing in popularity, however drinking from a takeaway cup is still a convenient option for many. Takeaway coffee cups are lined with plastic to prevent liquids absorbing into the paper outer. This plastic liner has made it difficult for cups to be recycled, as the plastic and paper need to be treated separately for recycling.
There hasn’t been an effective way to separate these two materials. Until now.
THE SOLUTION
Simply Cups is Australia’s first coffee cup recycling program, allowing coffee-lovers across the country to enjoy their coffee and recycle the cup.
We work with innovators to recycle and upcycle takeaway cups into recycled, and recyclable, products, creating a circular economy that gives coffee cups a second life as new products.
Become part of the solution and set up coffee cup recycling at your school or workplace. Learn how Simply Cups works and arrange collections.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Simply Cups was born in the UK in August 2014 when coffee companies and paper mills banded together to develop a solution that addressed the UK’s fastest growing waste stream: coffee cups.
Previous attempts to recycle coffee cups had failed due to the costs required for separating cups from bales of compacted paper and cardboard.
Two paper mills developed new equipment that could separate the liquid-proof liner from a paper cup, creating a market for an individual collection system that would separate coffee cups from other waste without the need for costly sorting procedures.
Using established logistics services from Simply Waste Solutions, Simply Cups was launched and provided collection and recycling services dedicated to turning coffee cups into second-life materials.
Following the success of Simply Cups UK, Closed Loop introduced Simply Cups to the Australian market in 2016 with a successful pilot program where 12,000 coffee cups were collected from just three office buildings in a four-week period.
With an estimated one billion takeaway coffee cups sent to landfill in Australia every year, Simply Cups now operates within businesses across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, saving millions of cups from landfill.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
and help close the loop on coffee cups
Start your own #cuprescue and set up a collection service at your workplace or school.
1 cent from each cup sale supports the establishment coffee cup recycling in Australia.