£45,000 fund to drive cup recycling innovation
The National Cup Recycling Scheme (NCRS) has unveiled a new £45,000 project fund designed to inspire fresh ideas that boost paper cup recycling across the UK. The initiative will back projects that make it easier to recycle cups on-the-go or help bring them into household kerbside recycling systems,keeping more cups out of landfill.
The competition opens this September, with the winning project to be revealed in December.
This new fund is a significant investment in innovation for cup recycling and reuse. We want to spark scalable solutions that will deliver real change for the future
by Hannah Osman, NCRS Manager
Who can apply?
The opportunity is open to any organisation, business or community groups, including collaborations and partnerships. Applications are invited under three key themes:
- Awareness campaigns – Creative projects that drive behaviour change and promote cup recycling at workplaces, events or public spaces
- Recycling infrastructure improvements – Innovative solutions to improve cup collection, return and sorting in high-footfall areas
- Research and evidence building – High-quality research tackling key challenges such as recyclability, recovery rates, environmental performance, or the potential for household kerbside collections
Shortlisted entrants will benefit from funding and expert support to strengthen their proposals. They will also receive networking opportunities, stakeholder introductions and tailored guidance ahead of their final pitch to the judging panel, made up of NCRS brand partners.
About the scheme
The National Cup Recycling Scheme is the UK’s largest initiative of its kind. Funded by leading brands including Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret A Manger, Caffè Nero, Lavazza Professional, Greggs and Burger King, the scheme works with retailers, waste management companies and UK paper mills to increase the number of cups collected and recycled.
So far, more than 233 million cups have been recycled into high-quality products such as packaging, stationery and even Remembrance Day poppies.
How to get involved
The fund has now been launched and further information, guidance and how to apply can be found here
