It’s no surprise that disposable coffee cups are a major contributor to litter and landfill, but people typically don’t think twice about the lid… Even though lids are typically made from plastic they’re not necessarily all recyclable through kerbside recycling. The best option is to recycle your plastic coffee lids through Simply Cups at a participating 7-Eleven.
Different types of coffee cup lids
Chances are, when you grab your morning takeaway coffee it will have a plastic lid. There are different types of plastics used for coffee cups lids.
If you have a closer look, you’ll see that your lid will have a small triangular symbol with a number in the middle. That number is the Plastic Identification Code (PIC). It tells you what sort of plastic the lid is made from.
Recycling polystyrene lids
The most common type of coffee cup lid is the polystyrene, also known as PS or PIC 6. Polystyrene lids can be recycled with Simply Cups at your local 7-Eleven.
If you do not have access to a local 7-Eleven, you can:
Check if your local council will accept PS (PIC 6) lids for recycling. Most kerbside recycling will not accept coffee cup lids as it is difficult to sort due to colour and weight.
Recycling polypropylene lids
Another common type of coffee cup lid is made with polypropylene, also known as PP or PIC 5. Polypropylene lids can be recycled with Simply Cups at your local 7-Eleven.
If you do not have access to a local 7-Eleven, you can:
Check if your local council will accept PP (PIC 5) lids for recycling. Most kerbside recycling will not accept coffee cup lids as it is difficult to sort due to colour and weight.
Check if you have a local PP5 Collection point for recycling
Recycling other plastic lids
There are some types of plastic lids, such as compostable lids that are made with a bioplastic. These types of lids are made from ‘other’ plastics, which are usually labelled PIC 7.
Compostable coffee cup lids can be recycled with Simply Cups at your local 7-Eleven here.
These lids may also be commercial composted and need to be taken to commercial composters to be composted.
Recycling paper lids
There are also a number of paper-based lids.
All paper-based lids can be recycled with Simply Cups, however, make sure you put them in the 'Paper Cups Only' tube. This is because it is the same material as paper cups.
Paper-based lids may also be compostable, check the lid for any messaging on compostability. Be careful and check if it is home or commercially compostable. If it is home compostable, you can compost it in a worm farm or regular compost. If it is commercially compostable, you will have to take it to a commercial composter to compost, these are limited in Australia.
Eco-friendly alternatives
Other things you might find on your coffee cup lid include words like ‘compostable’ and ‘biodegradable’. The thing to remember with these items is that they’re designed to be composted in very specific conditions and may not necessarily be the most eco-friendly option (if not disposed of correctly). Read more about ‘biodegradable vs. compostable’ here.
The most sustainable options to dispose of your lid would be to:
use a reusable cup (with a reusable lid)
check out reusable lid options like Lydy that can be used with takeaway cups
visit your closest participating 7-Eleven store so your lid can be recycled via the Simply Cups program.
References:
Lydy: https://www.lydy.com.au/blogs/news/are-coffee-cup-lids-recyclable