Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's War On Waste Prompts Coffee Drinkers To Demand Recyclable Cups

'A disgrace!'

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has prompted Britons to demand major high street coffee chains provide recyclable coffee cups, after a BBC programme documenting the waste caused by disposable mugs.

Comedian Dom Joly led calls on social media for chains including Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero to use recyclable material, after it was revealed their coffee cups have to go in the general waste bin.

Fearnley-Whittingstall’s latest episode of BBC One’s Hugh’s War On Waste saw the chef and campaigner tear into the high street shops. saying that they were misleading the public over claims of using “recyclable” cups.

He called on the public to get involved in pushing the companies to sort out their hot drinks receptacles - and they did not disappoint.

Hey @StarbucksUK @CostaCoffee @CaffeNero_US we want recyclable coffee cups #wastenot

— Dom Joly (@domjoly) July 28, 2016

So @StarbucksUK @CostaCoffee & @CaffeNero_US have been lying about their recycled coffee cups. Very bad. https://t.co/JaaLC8VeXA #wastenot

— Joseph Willits (@josephwillits) July 28, 2016

99% of cups from @Starbucks @CostaCoffee and #cafenero can't be recycled. 5000 cups a min being thrown away. That is a disgrace #wastenot

— Aidan (@aidanfarrelly) July 28, 2016

Can't believe I've always recycled un-recyclable cups.Supporting @HughsWaronWaste #wastenot @CostaCoffee @StarbucksUK @McDonalds @NeroCoffee

— JamesHarrison (@JamesHarrisonBB) July 28, 2016

@CafeNero_us We want 100% recyclable cups now! #wakeupandsmellthewaste #wastenot Action not words! Save the planet!

— Donna (@DonnaWhitbread) July 29, 2016

.@CaffeNero_US @StarbucksUK From a freelancer who works at yr cafes and buys A LOT of yr coffee, pls make yr cups more recycleable #wastenot

— Dan Green (@DiggedyDan) July 29, 2016

Wake up @StarbucksUK @CostaCoffee @CaffeNero_US and smell the waste. We want coffee cups that can actually be recycled NOW #wastenot

— Leonogy (@illographics) July 29, 2016

Well done Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on #wastenot programme last night. Coffee cups not recyclable is a disgrace!

— Best of Cambridge (@tbo_cambridge) July 29, 2016

Fearnley-Whittingstall was shown learning that just 1% of coffee cups in the UK are actually recycled - despite claims by major coffee chains that they have “recyclable” cups.

The problem is that “paper” cups are not actually simply made of paper but include a layer of polyethylene. This means they cannot simply be recycled with paper or cardboard.

Following the outrage on Twitter, Costa did actually tweet in response...

We welcome any innovation in the area of take away cups. Here's our commitment to finding the solution #wastenot pic.twitter.com/b3ZQL020Qy

— Costa Coffee (@CostaCoffee) July 28, 2016

We acknowledge the confusion, & until we're satisfied more cups are being recycled we've removed the ♻️ #wastenot

— Costa Coffee (@CostaCoffee) July 28, 2016

Natalie Bennett has also joined the row over coffee cups after an incident on a train.

When the Green Party leader asked for a hot drink to be served in her own reusable cup, train staff refused. Great Western Railway later said that this was for health and safety reasons.

. @GWRHelp please remove directive that your train staff must refuse to serve coffee in customers' reusable cups #pointlesswaste

— Natalie Bennett (@natalieben) July 28, 2016

According to the BBC, she added that the “huge number of coffee cups that are pouring into our waste stream is a huge impact on our environment” and said she would be “asking them to change the policy”.

We throw away a staggering 2.5 billion cardboard coffee cups in the UK every year.

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