7-Eleven and partners, Simply Cups, have announced two Australian-first recycling initiatives.
Plastic straws can now be recycled in-store and the world’s first reusable coffee cup made out of takeaway coffee cups, the rCUP, is available for purchase.
Along with plastic straws, Australians can also recycle takeaway coffee and Slurpee-type cups at the dedicated collection bins in over 200 7-Eleven stores across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
The rCUP is made from six recycled takeaway coffee cups, collected from the Simply Cups UK program. It is 100 per cent leak proof and fully insulated ensuring that hot drinks stay warm for longer.
Rob Pascoe, founder of Simply Cups said that to manufacture the rCUPs locally the community needs to recycle their takeaway cups and straws.
“We have a new partnership with a company that has developed cutting-edge technology to recycle plastic waste into a dough-like plastic material that can be moulded into new products including rCUPs, furniture and car park bumpers. This locally developed technology is the first of its kind in the world and to continue to develop it we need the community’s help to recycle their takeaway cups and plastic straws.”
7-Eleven partnered with Simply Cups in March and launched a recycling revolution with the aim of rescuing takeaway cups from landfill. Since the program launched, 1.48 million cups have been collected and given new life as hospital trays and other products.
7-Eleven CEO Angus McKay said that the convenience store chain is committed to recycling and upcycling waste materials.
“We believe we have a responsibility to take the lead and find a solution to plastic ending up in landfill. A problem this size requires multiple solutions and we want to drive a behaviour change and help people dispose of their takeaway cups and straws responsibly.
“Our goal is to change the way the community thinks about recycling and we have seen that consumers are getting on board. We encourage all Australians to recycle any brand of takeaway coffee cups or straws at the dedicated recycling bins at 7-Eleven stores,” McKay said.
