British-made bioplastics could hold the key to coffee cup waste, says Biome

A UK-based producer of bioplastics says its “world first” range of plant-based materials could hold the key to tackling the high-profile issue of coffee cup waste.

Southampton-based Biome Bioplastics says it has developed a range of materials over the past five years specifically for coffee cups, lids and coffee pods based on natural and renewable resources including plant starches and tree by-products such as cellulose.

The company says it is the first time such bioplastic materials for disposable cups and lids have been made that are fully compostable and recyclable, while still performing like petroleum-based plastic under heat and stress.

“For such a simple product, disposing of a single coffee cup is a very complex problem. Coffee drinkers are acting in good faith when they see recycling logos on their takeaway coffees but most cups are lined with oil-based plastic and the lids made of polystyrene making recycling impossible, even when placed in the right bin,” commented Paul Mines, CEO of Biome.

“Our solution is making biopolymers that can be made into fully biodegradable coffee cup and lid combinations. The result being a bio-based takeaway cup disposable either in a paper recycling stream or food waste stream.

“In appropriate composting conditions our cups and lids will disappear to carbon dioxide and water within three months.”

The British manufacturer says the bioplastics it has developed for cups and lids will enable retailers and packaging manufacturers to offer consumers a more sustainable option, after its market research showed growing concern amongst the public following reports of the issues surrounding difficulties recycling conventional coffee cups.

“There are high-tech biopolymer materials being produced here in Britain that are ready to be deployed at scale for the market. Bioplastics can now perform almost exactly like petroleum-based plastics under mechanical stress and at boiling temperatures," Mines continued. 

“The shocking amount of landfill waste shows the urgent need for big brands to accelerate work in new, sustainable materials such as bioplastics. High street retailers can now give consumers what they want: a sustainable takeaway cup option that can either be properly recycled or composted.”