Atlanta adds paper cups to its recycling program

The city of Atlanta is adding paper cups to its curbside recycling program through a partnership with the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), Falls Church, Virginia.

According to a news release from FPI, Atlanta’s curbside recycling program is the 11th to partner with FPI to recycle paper cups. The cups collected in the curbside recycling program will be recycled and sorted at a material recovery facility. FPI reports that the recycled paper, including the paper cups, will be sent to paper mills to make new recycled-content products.

“Atlanta is committed to growing its opportunities for recycling,” says Kanika Greenlee, program management office for Atlanta’s Department of Public Works. “FPI’s grant helps us educate our community, which includes over 98,000 households in the city of Atlanta, to participate in paper cup recycling. We encourage residents to clean and empty their paper beverage cups, like coffee and soda cups, and place them in their recycling cart or drop them off at one of the county’s recycling centers.”

To increase awareness about this new recycling initiative, Atlanta is launching an outreach campaign featuring a recycling education video, social media content and outdoor advertisements with support from a communications grant from FPI. The campaign will highlight the addition of the paper cups and remind residents that all recyclables should be clean and empty when placed in curbside recycling carts.

“Atlanta is a leader in its recycling efforts by adding paper cups to its program and raising awareness of recycling foodservice packaging items,” says Natha Dempsey, president of FPI. “We are proud to partner with the city and our FPI members to support this partnership to enable residents to recycle rather than dispose of these items.”