Starbucks Is Testing A 100 Percent Recyclable Coffee Cup In The UK

Starbucks is looking to make itself even greener by testing a fully recyclable coffee cup in its U.K. locations.

The coffee chain is trying out the Frugalpac cup, invented by entrepreneur and engineer Martin Myerscough.

Conventional takeaway cups are made from paper, but the plastic they are laminated in makes them difficult to recycle, according to The Guardian. The Frugalpac cup, in contrast, has a thin film that is designed to easily separate from the paper in the recycling process, leaving behind 100 percent paper to be recycled. 

 "We are very interested in finding out more about the Frugalpac cup and we will be testing it to see if it meets our standards for safety and quality, with a view to trialing its recyclability," a Starbucks spokesperson said.

Myerscough is also working with other coffee chains and supermarkets to push the Frugalpac cup as the standard. He said, "We've spent the last two years developing our cup and we hope now that coffee chains and cup producers will see Frugalpac as an answer to this issue."

Check out our roundup of America's greenest restaurants.