The Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) for the first time added paper cups to its list of classifications for recycled materials. ReMA's Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) Specifications now include paper cups under paper items allowable in inbound residential single and dual recycling streams.
According to a press release from Graphic Packaging, this represents a major milestone in a broader movement to increase awareness and drive greater collection of paper cups in recycling systems. Industry associations, consumer brands and sustainable packaging companies - including Graphic Packaging International, the largest producer of paper cups in the U.S. - have been collaborating to accelerate this important change. In the U.S., the company collaborates with the Paper Cup Alliance, Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), NextGen Consortium and other industry groups.
"The inclusion of paper cups in ReMA's specifications is the result of years of education and collaboration across the recycling value chain," said Ed Tucciarone, Graphic Packaging's procurement director, who works closely with ReMA. "We're proud to support these efforts. This is a win not only for our industry, but also for the environment and for companies pursuing sustainable packaging goals."
ReMA represents the global recycled materials industry. Its ISRI Specifications set standards on the quality and use of recycled materials. This guidance is highly influential with waste collectors and materials recovery facilities (MRFs) - who decide what is collected in municipal recycling systems - as well as the development of end markets for recycled materials.
