NEW “Recycle my Frugal Cups” Inclusive service with First Mile Recycling.

Frugal Cup - simply recyclable
Frugal Cup is the only paper cup that can be recycled as part of the mainstream waste process.
It’s a charmingly simple product:
- a 96% recycled paperboard outer
- a 4% food-grade PE liner
The two elements easily separate during the standard recycling process so that the paperboard can be recycled again and the liner can be recycled or used for energy from waste.
Crucially, can be deposited in ANY recycling bin – that’s the one you have at home, the one on the street or the recycling bin in the coffee shop or office.

The paper cup waste scandal
Around 2.5 billion coffee cups are used and thrown away each year in the UK but in 2017, less than 1 in 400 – just 0.25% – were getting recycled.
The statistics are breathtaking, the waste enough to make you weep.
This is why the problem is so acute: conventional paper coffee cups aren’t easily recyclable (whatever they claim) – they’re made from plastic-coated virgin paperboard which doesn’t break down efficiently in the standard recycling process.
Frugal Cups are the solution. They’re made from recycled paperboard with no waterproofing chemicals, their food-grade liner separates easily in the standard recycling process.
Trash paper cup waste
Less than one in 400 paper coffee cups currently gets recycled. Here’s how to do your bit to help trash the waste.
Frugal Cup stats
Here’s what you need to know.
The recyclable cup made from recycled paperboard |
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Three sizes: 8oz, 12oz, 16oz |
Delightful designs: dotty, kraft, ivy, sunny, waterfall, winter. |
Available in boxes of 500 (8oz and 12oz) and 400 (16oz) |
Made from 96% recycled paperboard |
Food-grade PE liner (removed in standard recycling process) |

The world’s only recyclable paper cup made from recycled paper
Bespoke designs. If you’d like to order Frugal Cups featuring your own brand design, the minimum order quantity is just 10,000 cups. Please speak to us on 0843 557 8888
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Project Waterfall Frugal Cup. Including recycling service.
The specially designed Project Waterfall Frugal Cup is made of recycled paper and helps to brings clean water, sanitation and education to coffee-growing communities. 8oz/12oz -Box of 500. 16oz - Box of 400
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Frugal Cup Dotty. Including recycling service.
Our delightfully dotty recyclable double-walled Frugal Cup made from recycled paperboard in colourful dotty swirls. 8oz/12oz: Box of 500, 16oz: Box of 400
Read more -
Frugal Cup Kraft. Including recycling service.
The natural-look recyclable double-walled Frugal Cup made from recycled paperboard in warm kraft brown. 8oz/12oz : Box of 500, 16oz : Box of 400
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Frugal Cup Ivy. Including recycling service.
Our stylish, Ivy inspired, recyclable double-walled Frugal Cup made from recycled paperboard. 8oz/12oz : Box of 500. 16oz : Box of 400
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Frugal Cup Linerless
Made from sustainable virgin paper treated with a unique coating for ease of recycling
Available in 8oz, 12oz and 16oz sizes.

The truth about paper coffee cup recycling
It’s an issue that’s actually quite tricky to unpick.
Quite understandably, many retailers and manufacturers don’t want to come clean about the proportion of their cups that gets recycled. Most of the time, they quietly rely on the word ‘paper’ being more environmentally-friendly than the word ‘plastic’.
To take part in our Design A Cup competition, download the template here.