There currently are no recycling programs specifically for plastic-coated paper cups due to the fact that their multi-material composition (paper plus a polyethylene or wax coating) makes them difficult and expensive to recycle. A few municipalities accept them as an incidental contaminant in boxboard mixed paper collection programs.

Foam (polystyrene) cups, as well as other polystyrene materials, can be and are currently being recycled in Canada! In fact, in Ontario over two thirds (66%) of all households have access to blue box recycling programs (both curbside and depot collection) that collect post-consumer foam cups and containers. Also, it is presently anticipated that the City of Toronto will add foam cups and containers to the City’s blue box program by the end of 2008.

All those foam coffee cups, fast food containers, yogurt cups, bakery plates and lids, crystal drink containers, meat trays, – all household polystyrene -- and white cushion packaging material no longer have to end up in landfill. They are completely recyclable!

The majority of these materials are recycled by the Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (CPRA) which operates two polystyrene recycling facilities in Ontario – Mississauga and Port Hope. CPRA has more than enough capacity to recycle all the household polystyrene collected by municipalities. And if you divert this packaging from your landfill, it is NOT sent to China, but is recycled and remanufactured right here in Ontario into exciting consumer products that are sold across North America.

CPRA is part of a highly successful group of companies (Picture Depot, North American Moulding, Polyframe Moulding Inc.) dedicated to the recovery and re-manufacture of post-consumer polystyrene in Ontario into high-end picture frames and other decorative mouldings. (Used food packaging is also commonly made into garden containers, CD cases, hangers and office equipment.)