London, 2016-Dec-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — Costa is launching a nationwide recycling scheme across over 2,000 stores in order to recover and guarantee the recycling of its takeaway cups. Competitor takeaway cups will also be accepted by Costa in order to increase the number of cups recycled across the country.
Customers will be encouraged to leave or return their takeaway cups to a Costa store where they will be collected by Costa team members and stored back of house on a cup rack. Costa will then work with their waste partner, Veolia, to transport them to specialist waste processing plants which have the capability to recycle takeaway coffee cups.
Following a successful trial in over 45 stores across London and Manchester, Costa is rolling out the recycling racks at the end of January 2017 with a clear message of ‘we recycle any paper takeaway cup, no matter what brand’.
Jason Cotta, Managing Director of Costa UK&I, said:
“As the UK’s largest coffee shop brand, with stores up and down the country, we want to make it as easy as possible for the public to recycle their used coffee cups. Our research in Manchester and London shows around 40 cups per day are left in stores, which means we have the potential to recycle 30 million Costa cups a year. What’s more, the fact that we will accept competitors’ cups means we could significantly increase that figure. This will not be a trial. This is going to be business as usual.”
In addition to this Costa is funding research at Sheffield University into cup recyclability and currently donates 25p to litter charities every time a customer uses a reusable cup in a Costa store.
Jason Cotta continues:
“We are committed to taking a lead and, like many others, we are working hard to find a cup that can be recycled anywhere. Whilst there is more work to do in partnership with the wider industry, we are excited to see the impact our new in-store recycling offer will have and hope it is embraced by everyone – by our customers and by those who buy their coffee elsewhere.”
Costa is the UK’s favourite coffee shop, having been awarded “Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain in the UK and Ireland” by Allegra Strategies for six years running (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & December 2015).
With 2000 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,180 in 30 overseas markets, Costa is the fastest- growing coffee shop business in the UK. Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, Costa has become the UK’s favourite coffee shop chain and diversified into both the at-home and gourmet self-serve markets.
Costa is committed to looking after coffee-growers. That’s why we’ve established The Costa Foundation, a registered charity. The Costa Foundation’s aims are to relieve poverty, advance education and the health and environment of coffee-growing communities around the world. So far, The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 53 schools and improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
Costa is also committed to tackling the UK’s literacy challenge and is proud to have signed the Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2016. In continuation of this commitment, and inspired by the Costa Book Awards and the ongoing work of the Costa Foundation, Costa launched its inaugural Reading Week in September 2016 in conjunction with over 500 schools across the UK.
Source: Costa