As coffee cup recycling comes under increasing scrutiny, businesses are missing opportunities to strengthen their sustainability performance. Greenzone makes it simple to handle this waste responsibly and turn compliance into progress. 

Disposable coffee cups have long posed a recycling challenge. Their plastic lining means they can’t be processed through standard paper recycling systems. But with Scotland’s Circular Economy Act and similar initiatives raising the bar on accountability, businesses must now take greater control of how these materials are managed avoiding contamination and ensuring compliance. 

Though small in size, coffee cups have a big impact. Many businesses underestimate how much they can negatively impact recycling stats. Greenzone’s mission is to change that helping customers stay compliant, boost recycling rates, and make tangible progress toward circular economy goals. 

With a network of over 250 trusted suppliers, we deliver tailored recycling solutions including dedicated coffee cup collections and systems for other hard-to-recycle materials. Our flexible contracts, smart waste-tracking technology, and real-time performance data give businesses full visibility over their environmental impact and measurable progress toward sustainability targets. 

Partnering with Greenzone means access to: 

• Expert compliance guidance on emerging regulations and environmental standards 

• Specialist recycling streams for coffee cups and other complex waste types 

• Data-driven insights and reporting tools to optimise performance and ESG reporting 

• Scalable, flexible solutions that grow with your business 

In 2024, Greenzone achieved a 97% recycling rate across 58,000 tonnes of waste — proof that with the right strategy and partnerships, even challenging materials like coffee cups can be recovered and reprocessed responsibly. 

With businesses across the UK facing increasing challenges in recent months, cyber security has become more critical than ever.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, the risks to businesses from data breaches to costly downtime are at an all-time high.

At Greenzone, we understand the importance of protecting both our business and our customers from these risks. That’s why we are proud to hold ISO 27001 certification. The globally recognised standard for information security management. This accreditation demonstrates our ongoing commitment to safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining robust security systems.

“Recent times have been difficult for businesses of all sizes, and cyber security is often overlooked until it’s too late. At Greenzone, we make cyber security a priority every day. Holding ISO 27001 means our customers can have complete confidence that their data is handled with the highest level of care and protection.” said Matt Morris – Head of IT.

Cyber Security Awareness Month serves as a reminder for organisations to review their security practices, invest in staff awareness, and strengthen their resilience against threats. For Greenzone, it’s an opportunity to reaffirm that data protection and information security are embedded in everything we do.

By continuing to uphold the highest standards, Greenzone not only protects its operations but also helps build stronger, more secure partnerships with customers and suppliers alike.

Now that Greenzone are part of the First Mile Group we are pleased to increase our service offering to support sustainable waste management across multi-tenanted sites.

We’re excited to invite you to an exclusive webinar featuring First Mile’s unique waste tracking solution.RecycleID™ is an innovative technology designed for facility managers to power smarter, more sustainable waste management through transformative waste insights.

Join us at 10am on Thursday 25th September to find out why RecycleID™ is the market leading waste tracking solution that’s already live at Network Rail, Savills, Westfields and many more.

What you’ll discover in the webinar:

• How the RecycleID™ app, QR-coded sacks, and weighing platform work together to track waste volumes and contamination by tenant or area
• The power of “pay-as-you-throw” charging, based on actual usage helping you allocate costs more fairly
• How to boost recycling rates across your properties and identify hotspot areas of contamination for quick resolution
• How to unlock real-time reporting for digital waste tracking compliance and tenant reporting required for building accreditation such as SMART buildings

Spaces are limited so be sure to sign up to secure your spot: Click here

We hope to see you there!

The world of waste management is changing fast. Across the UK, new policies and regulations are reshaping how businesses deal with recycling and sustainability.

For Greenzone, a specialist in Total Waste Management, this shift isn’t just a challenge it’s a chance to double down on sustainability, compliance, and innovation.

What’s changing in waste & recycling?

Simpler Recycling in England
From the 31^st of March this year, businesses with 10 or more employees must separate key recyclables including glass, metal, paper, card, plastic, and food waste. Smaller businesses have a little longer (until March 2027). The aim? To bring consistency across sectors and boost recycling rates, which have stalled at around 44–45%.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
Starting from October, new levies will mean retailers and online marketplaces must take financial responsibility for the packaging they put on the market. In short businesses will help pay for the end-of-life costs of packaging.

Scotland’s Circular Economy Act
Scotland is going further with its 2024 Circular Economy Act, which introduces fines for households that put banned items in recycling bins – things like disposable coffee cups and vapes.

How Greenzone is helping businesses stay ahead

• Flexible waste contracts: With coverage across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, Greenzone makes compliance easier with consolidated waste services (DMR, food, glass, WEEE, and more).
• Smart tech & insights: Our IT and AI-driven tools give businesses real-time data on waste generation – crucial when documentation and tracking are now part of the compliance process.
• Proven sustainability: In 2023, Greenzone recycled over 97% of the waste we handled, collecting 58,000 tonnes. Supporting progress towards a circular economy well ahead of incoming rules.

The challenges and opportunities

• Rising costs vs compliance pressure
  EPR fees, new fines, and potential incineration charges could hit margins, especially for smaller firms. But for Greenzone, this is an opportunity to offer added value through compliance services, audits, and consultancy.
• Customer education & engagement
  With new bans on mis-sorted items like ceramics, tissues, and cookware, Greenzone is stepping up with signage, audits, and personalised training to help businesses stay compliant and keep recycling rates high.
• Infrastructure needs
  More food waste collections, better sorting, and new recycling capacity (like plastic film) will be essential. Greenzone’s scale and partnerships make it well placed to bridge these gaps for clients.

Greenzone’s Marketing Manager, Janice Lack said: “These new rules aren’t just about ticking compliance boxes they’re a chance for businesses to rethink waste and put sustainability at the heart of their operations. We’re helping customers stay ahead with smart data, flexible solutions, and the confidence that they’re not just meeting regulations but making a real impact.”

The UK is entering a new chapter in waste management – one built on accountability, consistency, and financial responsibility. For Greenzone, these shifts don’t just reinforce the value of our Total Waste Management approach; they show why businesses need a partner who can simplify compliance, drive sustainability, and keep them prepared for what’s next.

Resources

Recycle Week Campaign Pack

Recycle Week Posters

Greenzone is thrilled to announce its participation in Recycle Week 2025, taking place from the 22^nd to 28^th September, as part of WRAP’s flagship Recycle Now campaign.

This year’s theme “Rescue Me! Recycle” brings everyday recyclable items to life, helping businesses and communities rethink what ends up in the bin.

What Is Recycle Week?

Recycle Week is a national celebration aimed at encouraging organisations across the UK to recycle more and recycle correctly. From retailers to local councils, everyone is invited to join in supporting the message: “Recycle more of the right things, more often.”

In 2025, the campaign expands with vibrant new characters including Trigger (spray bottle), Deo (aerosol), Fru (yoghurt pot), Spritz (perfume bottle), and Hube (toilet roll tube) which serve as fun, memorable reminders that these items can and should be recycled.

The campaign emphasises breaking down barriers like confusion around recycling. Through friendly, familiar characters, WRAP seeks to make recycling more intuitive and reduce “wish-cycling” (placing non-recyclables in hope of sorting later) and missed opportunities.

Greenzone is supporting Recycle Week in several exciting ways, from featuring the official Recycle Week guide complete with posters, social media templates, headers, and more available to download to running customer campaigns that use the fun “Rescue Me!” characters across social media and digital platforms to spotlight less obvious recyclables.

Why It Matters

• Clarity Over Confusion: Nearly half of businesses feel unsure about recycling rules. The campaign simplifies and clarifies – making it easier to recycle correctly.
• Every Item Counts: In a business setting small actions like recycling office supplies, packaging, or cleaning products add up significantly when multiplied across entire teams, sites, or estates.
• Community Pride & Involvement: Through localised campaigns and shared stories, recycling becomes a fun, collective effort with Greenzone’s support bringing national messages to life at the local level.

Join Greenzone in making Recycle Week 2025 a success! Save the dates in your diary, watch out for the “Rescue Me! Recycle” or better yet, rescue them from the bin!

Resources

Recycle Week Campaign Pack

Recycle Week Posters

Source: WRAP Website

LetsRecycle looks at the market for the month of August across the glass, metals, organics, plastics and textiles sectors.

Glass

The glass sector is under a lot of pressure at the moment, particularly due to cheaper imports from the EU flooding the UK market and the cheap production cost of virgin cullet. Prices have come down further this month amongst these challenging conditions. Bottle has seen less of a decrease than MRF glass due to slightly more favourable conditions. It is unlikely that this situation will change in the near future, with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) likely to add further pressure. View our more detailed glass price index here.

Metals

The metals markets have remained relatively steady through August, with ferrous prices continuing their extended period of stability. Non-ferrous grades have generally seen a slight uplift, although batteries and stainless steel solids prices continue to dip. Zinc, lead and aluminium values have held firm. Within the cans market, aluminium has benefited from strong domestic demand, helping to provide some buoyancy over the course of the month.  By contrast, steel can demand remains weak – particularly domestically. Ongoing overcapacity in the sector continuing to weigh on prices. View our more detailed metal price index here.

Organics

The organics markets remain steady. View our more detailed organics price index here.

Plastics

The market has been quite quiet this month as is usual for August and prices have dropped slightly for some grades. This has been linked to an abundance of material in the market, particularly with regards to PET, for which demand typically falls at this time of year. This has also started to put downward pressure on mixed bottle prices. The situation has been compounded by seasonal factory shutdowns alongside a number of permanent recycling facility closures, including, as recently announced, Viridor’s Rochester facility. Plastics recycling in general is not being helped by the low virgin polymer price which is putting margins under pressure. The plastics PRN continues to provide price support and remains steady at around £150/t. View our more detailed paper price index here.

Textiles

The textiles sector continues to face challenging market conditions with poor quality material flooding the market, high collection and shipping costs, and low demand from export countries. One of our contacts said that the market “has never been as bad as it is at the moment”. Despite these conditions, the market did not see much change between July and August – with only HWRC textile banks and charity shop collections seeing a decrease. View our more detailed textiles price index here.

Source: Lets Recycle

Take-back schemes are becoming a regular feature on the UK high street, with major retailers inviting customers to return everything from blister packs to old jeans. Let’s have a closer look at these initiatives as they are an exciting step toward circularity keeping valuable materials in use and helping consumers make more sustainable choices.

Boots: Turning hard-to-recycle packaging into points. Boots has become a leader in healthcare recycling with its “Recycle at Boots” scheme. Customers can return beauty, dental, and healthcare packaging not accepted in kerbside collections. By scanning items through the Scan2Recycle app, they earn Advantage Card points for example, 500 points (worth £5) for five empty products when spending £10 in-store. Following a successful pilot, Boots has also rolled out nationwide blister pack recycling, offering 150 points for every 15 packs returned. Partnering with MYGroup, Boots ensures materials are processed responsibly: foil is recycled, while plastic is transformed into new products such as window frames and boards. This model highlights how incentives, convenience, and clear processing routes can make recycling part of the everyday shopping experience.

H&M: Textile take-back. H&M’s garment collecting program allows customers to drop off unwanted textiles from any brand in exchange for a £5 voucher on purchases of £25 or more (redeemable up to six times a month). Items are sorted for reuse, recycling, or repurposing, extending the life of textiles in line with circular economy principles.

River Island: Partnering with Reskinned. River Island has scaled up its partnership with Reskinned, accepting three or more items of unwanted clothing per customer across 200 stores. Returned garments are hand-checked, ozone-cleaned, and then 30% are resold, 40% are repurposed, and 30% are recycled with nothing going to landfill. Donors get a £5 voucher off a £40 spend.

New Look: Re-fashion collaboration. New Look works with Re-Fashion, offering customers free donation bags that can be filled and dropped at Collect+ points. Items are repaired, upcycled, or resold online, and donors get 30% off their next Re-Fashion purchase. To add further impact, New Look also plants a tree for every donation bag returned.

MAC Cosmetics: Three decades of recycling. MAC’s Back-to-MAC program has run for more than three decades, accepting empty product packaging for recycling or energy recovery. While it once rewarded customers with a free lipstick for returning six empties, the brand has evolved the scheme to focus on environmental impact and strengthening its sustainability credentials. This long-standing initiative demonstrates the value of consistent, recognisable recycling programs that align with consumer expectations.

Costa Coffee: Cup Recycling accepts any paper takeaway cup (not just Costa’s) to be pulped and made into new paper products. Pret & Starbucks: Encourage reuse by offering discounts to customers who bring their own cup. Tesco, Sainsbury’s & Co-op: Continue to expand their soft plastics take-back bins, helping capture materials not collected at kerbside. Each of these initiatives makes it easier for customers to act sustainably in their daily routines.

Deposit Return on the Horizon

Looking beyond the high street, the government’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers is scheduled to launch in October 2027. A small deposit (around 20p) will be refunded when bottles and cans are returned. The scheme mirrors successful European models that have achieved recycling rates of more than 90%, and will represent a significant step forward for resource recovery in the UK.

Building a Circular Future

From Boots’ blister pack bins to River Island’s resale shops, take-back schemes are helping to make recycling visible, practical, and rewarding for UK consumers. They encourage reuse, incentivise sustainable choices, and show how brands can play a direct role in building the circular economy.

For businesses, the challenge now is to keep these initiatives growing scaling up participation, communicating outcomes clearly, and continuing to make recycling accessible to all.

When retailers, recyclers, and consumers work together, take-back schemes are more than a trend: they are a cornerstone of a circular economy zero-waste future.

Sources: Boots UK, MYGroup, Newlook, MAC, GB News, The Sun, River island, Green retail world, Metro, Gov.UK

As over 170 countries gather in Geneva for what is widely seen as the final round of negotiations on a Global Plastics Treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme, Greenzone is adding its voice to call for a bold, legally binding agreement that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic.

With current recycling systems capturing only around 10% of global plastic waste, it’s clear that recycling alone cannot solve the plastic pollution crisis. Greenzone advocates for a comprehensive treaty that addresses plastics from design and production through to recovery and reuse, in line with UN scientific guidance and the High Ambition Coalition’s vision.

At the heart of Greenzone’s stance is the need to reduce virgin plastic production, invest in sustainable alternatives, and strengthen recycling systems that deliver measurable environmental and health outcomes. However, in Geneva, major oil-producing nations and petrochemical interests continue to resist production caps, instead promoting voluntary measures and an overreliance on recycling.

One critical component of an effective treaty is the inclusion of robust Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework globally. Greenzone believes that producers must be fully accountable for the environmental impact of their products from packaging design through to end-of-life recovery. A Strong EPR scheme not only incentivise better design and material choices but also help fund collection and recycling infrastructure, especially in under-resourced regions.

Janice Lack said: “Extended Producer Responsibility is not just about waste – it’s about fairness, accountability, and system-wide transformation. For a true circular economy to thrive we need producers to take ownership, there needs to be clear policies, and businesses like ours are here to help deliver the recovery solutions.”

As negotiations reach a critical point, Greenzone remains hopeful that a global agreement can be reached – one that bridges the gap between production reduction and waste management, closes regulatory loopholes, and empowers everyone involved to act.

Sources: BBC news, The Guardian, Reuters

Greenzone welcomes the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)’s confirmation that the Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) system will become mandatory from October 2026.

The new system is designed to modernise how waste is recorded, monitored, and reported across England supporting national efforts to tackle waste crime, improve environmental transparency, and drive progress towards a circular economy.

A clear timeline for industry transformation

Following extensive consultation with the sector, DEFRA has confirmed the phased rollout of the DWT system:

• Autumn 2025 – Private beta testing with selected permitted waste sites
• April 2026 – Public beta testing across all permitted/licensed sites
• October 2026 – DWT becomes mandatory for permitted/licensed waste receiving facilities in England and Wales
• January 2027 – DWT becomes mandatory for permitted/licensed waste receiving facilities in Scotland and Northern Ireland
• October 2027 – Rollout expands to include carriers, brokers, dealers, and exempt sites

Bringing waste tracking into the digital age

Under the new system, all waste movements into permitted or licensed sites must be recorded digitally, replacing outdated paper-based documentation. Key data will include:

• Waste classification (EWC codes), SIC codes and movement reference numbers
• Origin and destination details
• Waste treatment processes and end destinations
• Multiple data submission options will be available, including API integration, CSV uploads, and a secure online portal – making compliance accessible for operators of all sizes.

What businesses should do next

With final details of the rollout (including charging structures and regulatory updates) expected by September 2025, Greenzone recommends that businesses:

• Begin reviewing internal systems and processes now
• Engage with industry updates and beta testing opportunities
• Work with trusted waste partners to ensure a smooth transition

Read more: Digital waste tracking service – GOV.UK

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications