New service launched to tackle hard-to-recycle waste such as coffee cups
South West businesses looking to cut hard-to-recycle waste and further boost their sustainability efforts have an opportunity to do so, thanks to a collaboration between recycling experts.
Waste management firm Grundon, which operates out of bases in St Philip’s in Bristol and Bishop’s Cleeve near Cheltenham, is launching a service to recycle three waste streams – compostables, paper towels and coffee cups.
It has teamed up with a number of organisations around the UK to recycle the waste which many companies – particularly in hospitality – traditionally struggle to achieve.
After a single collection the new service, called RecyclePlus, will guarantee 100% specialist recycling and provide organisations with a big tick in the box towards their sustainability targets.
Coffee cups will be transported to Cumbria-based packaging specialist James Cropper, which offers one of only two facilities in the UK with the capability to turn them into waste paper.
Compostables will go to Envar in Surrey, where a shredding and blending process will produce a peat-free, high-quality compost given PAS 100-rating for its biodegrability.
Meanwhile recycling expert Tork will re-use the paper towels for new tissue products.
Daniel Peacey, Grundon regional sales manager, said while compostables such as plant-based cutlery and food trays had become increasingly popular – especially since the ban and restrictions on single-use plastics – the opportunities for correct disposal of these items were not widely available.
“The same applies to coffee cups and paper towels. All three of these items need specialist reprocessing and, as a result, they all too often end up in general waste,” he added.
“RecyclePlus solves that problem by offering a disposal route for all three products via one simple collection service.”
Stephen Hill, general manager at Grundon, said: “Not only will customers significantly increase their recycling rates, they will benefit by reducing the weight of their general waste collections and their waste data will be even more detailed, helping to both meet waste targets and shape future sustainability programmes.”
Customers will have the option to decide if they want to adopt all three of the different waste streams or choose just one or two. Grundon will provide colour-coded bins and waste sacks, with clear signage to demonstrate which items go into which section.
Once collected by one of Grundon’s latest fully electric zero emission vehicles, the waste will be sent for onward reprocessing by the specialist partners.
One of the first Grundon customers to embrace the new service is London’s Television Centre (TVC), which includes office accommodation as well as restaurants, cafés and bars. It already recycles coffee cups through Grundon and plans to take advantage of the wider range of services that RecyclePlus will offer.
TVC has been working with Grundon since December 2021 and last year, after increasing its recycling rates from 25% to around 60%, it was jointly awarded a prestigious 2024 International Green Apple Environment Award alongside together with Grundon and Principle Cleaning Services to mark its sustainability achievements. Since the beginning of 2025, the recycling rate has reached nearly 80%.
Berkshire-headquartered Grundon was launched in 1929 and today works with customers across the South of England to provide a total waste management service for the reduction, reuse, recycling, recovering and disposal of waste.
Since opening its St Philips depot in 2020, it has secured a number of waste management contracts across Bristol with organisations such as Bristol Zoo Project, the immersive visitor attraction Wake The Tiger, Gloucestershire Cricket Club and Bristol Golf Centre.
It has also introduced a £300,000 state-of-the-art electric collection vehicle to the city’s streets.
