Can you recycle disposable coffee cups?

If you’ve been tossing disposable coffee cups into your recycling, you might be an aspirational recycler. A disposable coffee cup can ruin, or contaminate, a big batch of recycling. This is a case of reuse (taking your own cup) proving better than recycling.

Thanks to The New York Times article, “6 Things You’re Recycling Wrong,” I learned the term “aspirational recycler.” And I learned that the lining inside disposable coffee cups (which keeps them from leaking) makes them difficult and expensive to recycle. Of course, plastic lids and plastic coffee cups, like you might receive for an iced coffee, may still be recyclable.

To avoid becoming an accidental aspirational recycler, check with your local facility for information on what you can recycle. Cause hopeful assumptions do more harm than good. Happy recycling.

image via MorgueFile

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