The fund, which was announced in August 2025, will award more than £44,000 to support UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change.
The centre will use the funding toinvestigate the barriers preventing paper cups from being recycled through mainstream systems.
Hannah Osman, Manager of the National Cup Recycling Scheme, commented: “It was a particularly close call between the top four finalists, but UCL’s bid is a worthy winner.
“The findings can directly inform future infrastructure design, communication strategies, and the goals of the project – to use systems mapping to identify the key behaviours, barriers and enablers in paper cup recycling, to guide future interventions and policy – closely align with our ambitions to prevent cups from ending up in landfill.”
UCL to develop behavioural systems map
The eight-month project will be led by UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change, which specialises in applied behavioural science.
It will aim to capture the complexity of cup recycling across retail, waste, manufacturing and policy settings through extensive stakeholder engagement.
Key elements of the project include the development of a behavioural systems map showing how actions, barriers and enablers interact across the cup recycling system.
The team will consult stakeholders from across sectors, analyse data using system effects software and the COM-B behaviour model, and conduct a literature review to integrate academic and practical insights.
The work will also include a detailed case study of an existing intervention, produced in collaboration with the National Cup Recycling Scheme and Valpak, before concluding with a set of recommendations to inform future interventions and policy.
National Cup Recycling Scheme fund
The Beyond the Bin fund attracted submissions spanning research and evidence building, recycling and infrastructure improvements and awareness campaigns.
RECOUP, Recorra and Immersive Industry Experiences were named as close runners-up.
The National Cup Recycling Scheme is administered by Valpak by Reconomy and is the UK’s largest paper cup recycling scheme.
Funded by participating brands including Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret a Manger, Caffè Nero, Lavazza Professional, Greggs and Burger King, the scheme aimed to bring together major retailers, waste management companies and UK paper mills to increase paper cup recycling.
Matt Spencer, Commercial Director and Group Head of Sustainability for Caffe Nero, added: “Tackling the barriers to cup recycling is something we are very proud to support.
“We know to further improving recycling rates isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about understanding behaviour across the whole system.
“We hope that UCL’s work will provide valuable insight to help retailers, policymakers and waste partners design solutions that make recycling easier, clearer and more effective for customers.”
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