Advancing Coffee Cup Recycling in Canada

Recycling Product News (10/01/25) Kagan, Rachel

Recycling takeaway coffee cups has long been a challenge in Canada and elsewhere, as most are made from paperboard lined with a thin layer of plastic or polyethylene to resist liquids. This lining has long made it difficult to process in recycling systems. Consequently, cups have often been excluded from municipal curbside recycling programs. However, that is beginning to change with the move to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), where producers become financially and operationally responsible for recycling. Many Canadian provinces are introducing, or transitioning to, full EPR programs. These initiatives include rethinking how certain types of packaging are collected, processed and ultimately recycled — starting with the takeaway coffee cup.

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