National Cup Recycling Scheme competition opens

£45,000 of funding was announced at the end of August 2025 to support initiatives that either improve the capture and recycling of on-the-go paper cups or accelerate the integration of cups into kerbside collections. A winner will be announced in December.

Since its launch in 2018, the NCRS reported that it has recycled 233 million cups into new products.

The scheme is funded by brands including Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret a Manger, Caffè Nero, Lavazza Professional, Greggs and Burger King,

Hannah Osman, Scheme Manager, commented: “This new fund is a major investment to encourage innovation in cup recycling infrastructure and reuse.

“We are hoping to trigger scalable ideas that will make a real difference in the future.”

NCRS fund proposals

The competition has invited organisations, businesses, universities and community groups to put forward proposals that tackle challenges in cup recycling.

The new fund is intended to encourage projects with potential to make a long-term impact on recycling rates. Proposals can focus on one of three areas:

• Awareness campaigns: Behaviour change initiatives to increase cup recycling in workplaces, events or public spaces.
• Recycling infrastructure: New approaches to collection, return and sorting in high-footfall locations such as transport hubs, hospitality venues or shopping centres.
• Research: Studies examining the recyclability and recovery of cups or assessing the feasibility of integrating cup recycling into household collections.

Shortlisted applicants will receive financial support as well as guidance on networking, making referrals to stakeholders and help in refining their proposals before presenting to a judging panel made up of scheme partners.

Valpak calls for local authority involvement

Valpak highlighted the importance of local authorities in the success of the initiative, noting their role in managing household and on-the-go waste streams and their ability to engage the public.

The organisation said that council’s experience in raising awareness would be “invaluable” in supporting community participation.

The scheme is encouraging local authorities to share details of the fund with their networks and consider participating in applications or partnerships.

Valpak released a report on operating single-use cup takeback schemes in November 2024.