WM now accepts to-go cups in curbside recycling

Waste and recycling company WM has added plastic cups made of polypropylene (PP) and paper to-go cups to its universal list of accepted recyclable materials, meaning residents can recycle to-go cups curbside in more local recycling programs across the United States.

Houston-based WM says it is encouraging municipalities and customers to help make this initiative impactful by adding paper and plastic cups to accepted materials lists to help reach two new recycling designations, adding that both designations communicate to consumers about the recycling progress that will help more materials to be recycled and used again in a new product or package.

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The company says PP cups are approaching a qualification for a “Widely Recyclable” designation from North American on-pack disposal label How2Recycle, which would mean more than 60 percent of U.S. residents can recycle plastic beverage cups curbside. WM notes that The Recycling Partnership’s “State of Recycling Report” indicates households generate about as much PP as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) used for items such as laundry detergent, milk or shampoo bottles on average, though the recycling rate for PP is one-third of HDPE’s.

WM says paper beverage to-go cups are trending toward meeting the criteria for the “Check Locally” designation from How2Recycle, which would mean at least 20 percent of communities accept paper cups in curbside recycling collection.

“Plastic and paper to-go cups are showing up in greater volumes at our facilities,” WM Chief Sustainability Officer Tara Hemmer says. “We are executing on our plans to invest $1.4 billion in new recycling infrastructure across North America to unlock recycling capabilities and solutions so that more material can be turned into new products. Recycling works best when it’s accessible—and when industry leaders like WM, local communities, consumers and companies who purchase recycled material for new products and packaging all work together.”

WM says its investment is helping make recycling easier for everyday plastic and paper cups made for hot and cold drinks, so more recycled materials are produced in North America. The company notes these cups are baled at its recycling facilities along with other commodities, then sold to end markets that remanufacture products out of the recycled materials.

The company also works with organizations such as Starbucks, The Recycling Partnership, How2Recycle and the NextGen Consortium managed by Closed Loop Partners’ Center for the Circular Economy, as well as municipalities and the National League of Cities to drive awareness and update recycling guidelines of what materials can be accepted in communities through curbside or drop-off programs.

“We know that real progress is possible when communities, industry leaders and customers come together to make recycling more effective and accessible,” says Marika McCauley Sine, chief sustainability officer of Seattle-based Starbucks. “WM’s expanded curbside acceptance of our to-go cups is a meaningful step toward a more circular economy, where packaging is recycled more often and more easily.”

WM recommends visiting its Recycle Right page or the How2Recycle site for more tips on how to recycle and look at local municipality recycling acceptance lists for what can be recycled in specific communities.