Costa Coffee Among Brands to Trial AI-Enabled Cup Recycling

A recycling initiative combining artificial intelligence (AI) with consumer incentives is now underway in Cardiff. The pilot, spearheaded by the National Cup Recycling Scheme in collaboration with the innovative waste-sorting app Bower, aims to revolutionize the recycling of paper cups. For the next three months, consumers can drop off their used cups at prominent food-to-go locations, including Pret a Manger, McDonald’s, Greggs, Caffe Nero, and Costa Coffee, and earn a 5p reward for each one recycled.

Costa Coffee’s waste and recycling specialist, Darren Hughes, said: “This pilot is an exciting opportunity to test new ways to engage customers and reward them for recycling their cups. By working together with our partners, we can continue to innovate and find practical solutions that make recycling easier and more accessible for everyone.”

The scheme is powered by a joint fund from the National Cup Recycling Scheme, with Bower’s AI-based cup-screening system playing a central role. This world-first technology utilizes photographic detection, enabling customers to scan their cup returns effortlessly without requiring barcodes or QR codes.

Developed in collaboration with tech giant Google, Bower’s advanced object detection technology is at the heart of this groundbreaking project.

As the initiative progresses, valuable data will be collected, fueling future recycling efforts. Surveys conducted by Valpak, the scheme's administrator, and Keep Wales Tidy will track the demographic reach, app usage, and overall public engagement with the initiative.

Meanwhile, Keep Wales Tidy is leading an awareness campaign to help spread the word on the importance of reducing single-use cup waste.

Valpak’s national cup recycling manager, Hannah Osman, said: “By funding this project, we are helping to drive real change in consumer recycling habits while ensuring valuable cup materials are kept in circulation.

“Collaboration is key to tackling waste, and this pilot demonstrates how brands, technology, and communities can come together to create practical solutions that drive real environmental impact.

“We’re excited about the potential to expand this initiative, making it even easier for people across the UK to recycle their cups while earning rewards through Bower.”

Bower co-founder Berfin Mert said: “This collaboration showcases how technology, brands, and communities can come together to tackle waste and drive real environmental change.”

With the UK discarding a staggering 2.5 billion paper cups annually — many of which end up in landfills or as litter — this program couldn’t come at a better time. Though most of these cups are crafted from high-quality fibre that could be recycled into items like paper packaging or biome cards, the polyethene lining often complicates the process.

Despite the recycling potential, Valpak reported that, as of 2019, a mere 2.8% of paper cups were recycled in the UK. This is despite the country having the facilities to process polyethene-lined cups. With AI-powered tech, consumer rewards, and a more straightforward pathway for recycling, this pilot project aims to make significant strides in tackling one of the nation’s most persistent waste challenges.