All Resources
Plastic Cups Earn H2R ‘Widely Recyclable’ Label
Polypropylene (PP) beverage cups have earned the “Widely Recyclable” designation from How2Recycle. Now, more than 60% of U.S. households now able to recycle plastic cups through curbside or drop-off recycling programs.
Paper Cups Now Recyclable Across Massachusetts
Paper cups - paper coffee cups, fountain drink cups, little sippy cups, and compostable cups - are now accepted as recyclable materials at ALL Massachusetts material recovery facilities.
Community Partnership | Grand Traverse County, MI
Grand Traverse County, MI, residents can reduce waste by recycling their clean, empty paper cups and pizza boxes in curbside recycling carts and at local drop-off centers.
WM Now Accepts To-Go Cups in Curbside Recycling
WM has added plastic (polypropylene) and paper to-go cups to its universal list of accepted recycable materials.
Webinar Recording: Expanding Community Recycling Access & Participation
Recording of the August 2025 FPI webinar featuring community and MRF representatives that have added takeout containers to their recycling programs. Plus free resources to expand recycling in your communities!
Press Release: Communities Gain New Free Tools to Boost Recycling Education
The Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) has released an updated Resident Education Kit to make it easier than ever for communities to engage residents and boost recycling of foodservice packaging. The kit is free, comprehensive, and fully customizable — putting ready-to-use outreach tools at the fingertips of recycling coordinators, municipalities, haulers, and MRFs.
Communities Taking Action
The communities shown on this map have added paper cups to the accepted list of materials in their recycling programs. Want to join these communities? Fill out the form to be added to our map!
Value Chain Checklist
Resources to help engage with the FSP recovery value chain: communities, MRFs, and end markets.
AI camera allows TFC Recycling to expand program to include paper
TFC Recycling acquired new AI technology that can separate paper products from all other items enabling more than 500,000 households in cities like Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake to recycle paper cups, containers, and packaging.
Latest Updates to ReMA’s ISRI Specifications Include Paper Cups
ReMA’s ISRI Specifications to include the board-approved addition of paper cups to the allowable commodities in the inbound residential single-stream and inbound residential dual-stream specifications.
City of Austin Expands Recycling to Include Paper Cups
The City of Austin now accepts paper cups and food and beverage cartons and in their blue curbside recycling carts.
Paper Cup End Markets
The number of mills accepting paper cups is growing. Check out our list of confirmed markets for paper cups across North America.
Nebraska city to accept paper cups in curbside bins
The city of Omaha recently added paper take-out cups to its list of accepted items for recycling, with locally owned First Star Recycling leading the way in the resident-driven effort.
You can now recycle paper cups, containers in Hampton Roads, VA
TFC recently announced it can also accept paper drink carriers, cups and containers such as those that hold coffee, soup and soda.
Georgia-Pacific Opens More Opportunities for Paper Cup Recycling
Georgia-Pacific’s Savannah River mill in Rincon, Georgia, now accepts polyethylene (PE)-coated paper cups in its mixed paper stock for recycling. It’s the third Georgia-Pacific facility to begin accepting PE-coated cups.
New Item Added to List of What Can be Recycled in Spartanburg County
April 16, 2025, Spartanburg County, SC, announced it will now accept paper cups at recycling facilities. The county is the first community in SC to partner with Foodservice Packaging Institute to make this possible.
Community Partnership | TFC Recycling
Over 500,000 households in the Hampton Roads region of Virgina, can now recycle hot and cold paper cups as part of their recycling program.
Making the case for polycoated paper recovery
“There’s a lot of domestic mills looking for more fiber…that’s where paper cups come into play.”
Webinar Recording: Compostable Takeout Containers in Residential Curbside Programs
Recording of the January 2025 FPI webinar featuring industry, community, and composter representatives who are including compostable packaging in residential composting programs.
“Big Ten” Action Areas Emerge from System-Wide Compost and Compostable Packaging Circularity Event
The strategic plan and action items that emerged from the Improving the Circularity of Compostables and Compost event are part of a two-year systems change effort that now moves into a broad activation phase, inviting all participants in the supply chain to become involved.