{"id":4431,"date":"2019-07-03T14:07:10","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T14:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/printed-paper-cup-wholesale-buying-disposal-guide\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:27:42","slug":"printed-paper-cup-wholesale-buying-disposal-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/printed-paper-cup-wholesale-buying-disposal-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Printed Paper Cup Wholesale Buying &#038; Disposal Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Confused By Paper Cups? Here\u2019s A Guide To The Choices Available<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>While the complicated debate around the environmental impact of packaging waste continues, what are the options available when it comes to buying custom printed paper cups wholesale &#8211; and to ensure your customers can dispose of them with peace of mind?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Reusables only go so far as the majority of coffee purchases are still spontaneous. Until the facts are fully unpacked on this issue, demand for single use disposable cups is set to continue unless there are wholesale changes in mindset or legislation that affect consumers&#8217; habits.<\/p>\n<p>Vendors looking to buy branded, disposable coffee cups also want to showcase their brand with cups custom printed for them. But what happens to the cups with your brand on them is worth some careful thought.<\/p>\n<p>First, let &#8216;s look at the options available. (<em>Click to expand the sections to read more on each cup type.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<h2>So what types of custom printed paper cups are out there wholesale?<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3408\" src=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/compostable-biodegradable-custom-branded-printed-paper-cup-1.png\" alt=\"Compostable custom printed paper cup for a buyers guide blog post\" width=\"2488\" height=\"1734\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Have a bio plastic (PLA Polylactic Acid) \u00a0lining as a barrier instead of the regular polyethylene (PE) lining.<\/li>\n<li>Are compostable in industrial composters.<\/li>\n<li>Cups must get to the right facility to be composted effectively. (<em>Compostable, \u2018biodegradable\u2019 cups can be disposed by your customers in\u00a0brown domestic compost bins, but\u00a0will not decompose in a home compost pile.<\/em>) There are Waste Management companies collecting compostables and recyclables to ensure they get sent to the appropriate type of waste facility. That\u2019s if customers are using bins that you provide, which is unlikely for a takeaway \/ to-go business, (see more below).<\/li>\n<li>In the UK, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vegware.com\/close-the-loop\/info_50.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vegware<\/a> are doing great work with their \u2018Close the Loop\u2019 initiative connecting vendors with waste collection schemes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3409\" src=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/recup-recyclable-custom-printed-printed-paper-cup-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2488\" height=\"1734\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Double Wall recyclable cups with the right certification can be recycled in the regular paper\/card waste stream (<em>Path 13<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/environmental-solutions\/\">reCUP\u2122<\/a>, which features a mineralised Certified-As-Recyclable coating that breaks down in the regular recycling stream, is an example of a cup designed to exceed this standard.<\/li>\n<li>The reCUP\u2122 Double Wall cup was designed for and was recently awarded\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/recyclable-paper-cup-recup-aaa-green-dot\/\">AAA certification<\/a> by the <a href=\"http:\/\/cyclos-htp.de\/en\/home\/utility-pages\/home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Institute cyclos-HTP<\/a>\u00a0in conjunction with the\u00a0European\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gruener-punkt.de\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Dot<\/a> scheme \u2013 the <strong>first<\/strong> and <strong>only<\/strong> paper cup to achieve this classification.<\/li>\n<li>Institute cyclos-HTP standards are recognised throughout the EU and Switzerland.<\/li>\n<li>Also made from a mix of recycled paper and sustainable forestry sources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bV31Ab_Pvss\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3410\" src=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/custom-printed-paper-cup-buyers-guide-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2488\" height=\"1734\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Double or Single-Wall standard paper cups are made from a mix of sustainably sourced and recycled paper board with a PE plastic liner.<\/li>\n<li>These cups are now only recyclable where facilities exist to collect and send them to the right reprocessing plant.<\/li>\n<li>More plants are coming together to collect and process standard cups in recycling paths in the future.<\/li>\n<li>According to a <span class=\"removed_link\" title=\"http:\/\/www.pcrrg.uk\/case-studies\/pcrrg-reports-huge-increase-in-coffee-cup-recyling\">Paper Cup Recovery and Recycling Group<\/span> (PCRG) report, cup recovery rates in the UK have dramatically improved from just 1 in 400 cups in 2016, to 1 in 25 in 2018. It\u2019s expected that in 2019 as many as 1 in 4 will be recoverable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whatever type of cup you choose, be sure to check it has appropriate credentials for standards such as <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/brcgs-grade-a-status\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">High Hygiene and Quality Management<\/a> and that any virgin paper or card stock (material that is not already derived from recycled paper, such as inner walls), is responsibly sourced and certified to be from sustainable forestry sources. (CupPrint are <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/sustainable-forestry-paper-cup-certification-pefc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PEFC accredited<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<h3>Which Custom Printed Disposable Cup Type Suits Your Brand?<\/h3>\n<p>The material you choose to serve your customers takeaway drinks in can say a lot about your brand values.<\/p>\n<p>So it&#8217;s worth considering carefully before considering what cups to buy wholesale, stock and serve &#8211; and how you might assure customers what happens to their paper cup.<\/p>\n<p>After all, you may well pay for a specialist collection service &#8211; but most of your customers aren&#8217;t putting them into the bins you provide once they&#8217;ve left your premises.<\/p>\n<p>Some chains are making big efforts to collect cups and pass them to the right processors. But, again, this involves customers bringing the cups back to an outlet.<\/p>\n<p>Cup disposal is a complicated issue. Your <strong>customers walk out trusting<\/strong> that whatever <strong>sustainable cup<\/strong> you&#8217;ve chosen to serve <strong>can be processed<\/strong> according to type. More often than not, that&#8217;s not really the case though.<\/p>\n<p>In Ireland and the UK a lot of \u00a0bins are still not segregated into waste types, so trash largely goes to landfill regardless of you or your customers&#8217; best intentions.<\/p>\n<p>This means even compostable cups are not returning any benefit to the biosphere. See an example of this in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/environment\/113420066\/council-bans-compostable-packaging-from-their-collection--it-will-go-to-landfill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Zealand<\/a>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cupprint.ie\/paper-cup-printing-faqs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PAPER CUP PRINTING FAQs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cupprint.ie\/custom-printed-paper-coffee-cup-design-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PAPER CUP DESIGN TIPS<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-3181\" src=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/recyclable-paper-coffee-cup.jpg\" alt=\"recyclable paper coffee cup for AAA green dot award\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1186\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3>Checking-In with your Local Authority and Waste Processors<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Lobbying<\/strong> your <strong>local government<\/strong> to <strong>collect recyclable cups<\/strong> is the ideal solution.<\/p>\n<p>And if they accept recycled cups now, then you can show <span class=\"removed_link\" title=\"https:\/\/cupprint.ie\/recup-certification\/\">certification<\/span> from us &#8211; or <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/ie\/about-us\/#contact-us\">request reports<\/a> &#8211; \u00a0to prove that Path 13 is a viable option for accepting\u00a0reCUP\u2122 recyclable paper cups.<\/p>\n<p>We also strongly advise working with local waste management companies to ensure they&#8217;re aware of what types of cup are circulating in their local area so that cups are accepted into their streams.<\/p>\n<h3>Street Bins and Domestic Bins<\/h3>\n<p>Cafe owners pay their rates that contribute towards council litter bins. But the <strong>street furniture local government provides<\/strong> is often <strong>not to the standard of waste segregation<\/strong> required.<\/p>\n<p>This is because the process for disposal isn&#8217;t there following collection with so much going direct to landfill.<\/p>\n<p>PE-lined cups that are accepted by the plants that can process them still require additional steps to pick and sort them from other paper waste. (They still accept <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/uk-scotland-48185036\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper envelopes with plastic windows<\/a> though, so, go figure \u2026 ).<\/p>\n<p>Again,\u00a0reCUP\u2122 is the easiest product to prove that no additional picking is required, because it&#8217;s designed to be processed through Path 13 without issues.<\/p>\n<p>If you serve sustainable paper cup models and your local authority is collecting recyclable waste, then a recyclable cup is a great option to ensure the material is reused and redistributed in a circular economy. This is because it comes from a mix of both recycled and sustainable resources &#8211; plus it can be recycled repeatedly.<\/p>\n<h3>Choose the right waste path<\/h3>\n<p>There is likely no widespread street furniture offering a compostable segregation and vendors. So event concessions or organisers for example, will need to <strong>find a viable path to industrial composting facilities<\/strong> if they choose to serve biodegradable cups on location.<\/p>\n<p>Once again, in this case, showing the\u00a0reCUP\u2122 certs to waste collectors and processors is advised to ensure the maximum benefits from using sustainable cups are achieved.<\/p>\n<p>Encouraging your customers to take their cups home and place them in the right type of bin (brown for compostables, recycling for recyclables) is also a realistic step in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>In fact in a recent YouGov survey in the UK, 68% of respondents said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fccenvironment.co.uk\/2019\/05\/23\/fcc-survey-reveals-public-responsibility-for-takeaway-litter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">individuals should be responsible for their own takeaway waste<\/a>.\u00a0A further 9% thought the responsibility should lie with retailers, 8% with packaging producers, and 5% with local councils.<\/p>\n<p>This way both recyclable and compostable cups will go into the right processing streams &#8211; as will PE-lined, regular paper cups once there are more plants re-accepting this type of cup.<\/p>\n<p>Packaging companies are making strides in sustainable options, but authorities could arguably do more to enhance their own services instead of just taxing consumers or vendors.<\/p>\n<h3>Comparing single use cups with reusables<\/h3>\n<p>It&#8217;s a complicated argument but a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tno.nl\/media\/2915\/summary-research-drinking-systems.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fascinating study<\/a> by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research gave a strong argument that disposable cups have a lesser impact on the environment than a reusable cup.<\/p>\n<h3>Landfill Good or Bad?<\/h3>\n<p>On the subject of landfill and recycling as a contribution towards climate change this clip gives a very interesting perspective &#8211; and even argues landfill as being a viable option.<\/p>\n<p>However <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detpak.com\/news-and-events\/latest-news\/Five-things-you-should-know-about-compostable-cups\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">landfill does contribute towards methane production<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fconsideritshow%2Fvideos%2F348040992564880%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/double-wall-paper-cups-matt-gloss\/\">READ ABOUT CUP PRINTING FINISHES<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/gallery\/\">LOOK FOR INSPIRATION<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/paper-cup-artwork-design-template-downloads\/\">DESIGN TEMPLATES<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>About CupPrint<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>CupPrint is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.huhtamaki.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Huhtamaki Group<\/a> company and the only disposable coffee cup supplier manufacturing all three choices of paper cup type.<\/li>\n<li>CupPrint specialise in producing <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/gallery\/\">beautiful, branded paper cups<\/a>\u00a0custom printed for <a href=\"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/benefits\/\">cafe and coffee shop operators. <\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cups are available from quantities as low as <strong>1000 pcs<\/strong> with high resolution <strong>custom printing<\/strong> and <strong>15-day<\/strong> delivery.<\/li>\n<li>CupPrint manufacture cups and supply Europe-wide from their HQ in Ireland.<\/li>\n<li>This fast turnaround and <strong>Low Minimum Order Quantity<\/strong> means smaller businesses with <strong>less storage space<\/strong> can present their brand with a unique and <strong>high quality branded paper cup<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Sustainable cups already make up over 50% of CupPrint&#8217;s business and this figure is expected to be close to 100% by the end of 2019.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Confused By Paper Cups? Here\u2019s A Guide To The Choices Available While the complicated debate around the environmental impact of packaging waste continues, what are the options available when it comes to buying custom printed paper cups wholesale &#8211; and to ensure your customers can dispose of them with peace of mind? Reusables only go [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4432,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[408],"tags":[],"blog-categories-main":[],"class_list":["post-4431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cup-responsible-disposal-guide"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4431"},{"taxonomy":"blog-categories-main","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cupprintdev.wpenginepowered.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-categories-main?post=4431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}