Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation is asking residents to recycle their clean and empty paper cups and other takeout containers.

In December 2023, FPI held a webinar that shared information on the effect of images, language and special instructions related to recycling take-out containers. We also learned about best practices and tools, and heard real-world examples of resident education from communities and haulers.

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FPI awarded Groot a communications grant to inform residents about newly added recyclable materials, emphasizing the inclusion of paper cups, and reiterating the importance of ensuring all recyclables are clean and empty before placing in recycling carts.

Following the installation of the robotic sorter, the City of Madison, Pellitteri, and FPI collaborated on a focused educational campaign aimed at informing residents and customers about the recent modifications to the recycling program.

ACC's longstanding partner mills readily accepted bales containing paper cups. FPI facilitated discussions between RMPF and the mills, and ACC broadened its list of acceptable items to include paper cups and paper take-out containers.

Leveraging FPI's track record of successful community partnerships as evidence of paper cup recyclability, and securing approval from St. Lucie's collaborating mills, the County began including paper cups in its mixed paper bales.

The County’s strong commitment to sustainability made it an ideal candidate to expand its recycling program to incorporate a range of foodservice items, like cups and containers, through an FPI Community Partnership.

Clark County began incorporating paper cups, along with a variety of other paper foodservice items, into its mixed paper bales. The MRF subsequently sold this high-quality fiber to local paper mills in the region, where it could be reprocessed into new products.

Following the FPI’s market-based approach, the parties communicated regarding the proposed change in Sioux Falls' recycling program to ensure alignment between Millennium Recycling and its partner mill, WestRock in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sustana committed to providing an off-take agreement for a combined paper cup/carton bale produced at the Alpine MRF in Denver. Following this change, the city of Denver carried out a targeted educational campaign to notify residents.

FPI released a summary of findings from its Resident Messaging Survey, sharing information related to resident assumptions on recyclability, awareness of what items can be recycled, and top sources of recycling instructions. The survey focused on recycling messaging related to take-out items such as plastic cups and containers, paper cups and pizza boxes.   

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Webinar shared several FPI-supported studies including recovery of PET thermoforms, PP cups, paper cups, and the impact of food residue on take-out packaging recycling.

A food residue study was conducted in November 2022 to learn whether foodservice packaging (such as take-out containers, cups or pizza boxes) set out for recycling were more contaminated than food contact packaging (such as peanut butter jars, cans or pasta boxes). This study served as a follow-up to two previous food residue studies.

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More households in Chicago and the surrounding area can now recycle paper cups along with other take-out containers.

This webinar recording focused on the FPI community partnership program that works to add a suite of foodservice packaging to curbside recycling and/or composting programs in vetted communities. The panelists walked through the partnership approach, shared resources available to communities, and provided real-world collaboration stories from actual community partners.

More than 182,000 households in the Memphis area are now able to recycle paper cups alongside already accepted foodservice packaging.

FCC Environmental Services has installed new robotic sorting technology at its MRF enabling greater Dallas area residents to recycle paper cups, and improved recycling of food and beverage cartons.

Eight municipalities in the Tulsa metropolitan area with over 252,000 households can recycle hot and cold paper cups.

FPI is working closely with local material recovery facilities (MRFs) and paper mills in North and South Carolina to add paper cups as an acceptable commodity for residential curbside recycling.