Visit to James Cropper

Nestled among the beautiful greenery of the Lake District the paper mill itself almost unnoticeable upon arrival. Having been built in 1845 and previously used as a cotton mill, the history of the mill emanates from the original stone buildings. As a keen kayaker, my attention was first drawn to the trickle of the River Kent, which provides water for the paper-making process. Juxtaposed with the old mill buildings are the modern paper mill facilities. This is where our tour of the paper cup recycling process began. 

Recycled Paper Cups

The recycled paper cups are turned into a variety of high quality products, for example, greetings cards and packaging for high-end fashion retailers. Seeing the process from start to end gave great insight into the positive impact that James Cropper, one of four partner paper mills to the National Cup Recycling Scheme, is having on paper cup recycling in the UK. The National Cup Recycling Scheme aims to increase the number of paper cups being recycled in the UK.