UK's billions of takeaway cups could each take '30 years' to break down

clock • 4 min read

Campaigners call for use of eco-friendly options and tax on paper and plastic takeaway cups as most are not recyclable

Coffee-addicted Britain is leaving a mountain of toxic waste for the next generation as scientists warn it could take decades for paper cups from Starbucks, Pret a Manger and other chains to decompose....

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Waste

Study: 1,000 tons of plastic particles transfer from packaging into food every year

Study: 1,000 tons of plastic particles transfer from packaging into food every year

Report warns micro and nanoplastics that are small enough to penetrate cell barriers and interact with biological systems are passing from packaging into food

Stuart Stone
clock 23 April 2026 • 3 min read
'Practical change': Top brands launch new UK Packaging Pact

'Practical change': Top brands launch new UK Packaging Pact

100 founding signatories from across the retail, food, and packaging sectors vow to work together to curb waste levels and boost recycling rates

James Murray
clock 22 April 2026 • 3 min read
'National crisis': More than 13 billion pieces of fruit and veg packaging thrown away or burned annually

'National crisis': More than 13 billion pieces of fruit and veg packaging thrown away or burned annually

Campaigners call on government to set new target to remove plastic packaging from uncut fruit and vegetables by 2030

Stuart Stone
clock 22 April 2026 • 4 min read