University College London has been awarded more than £44,000 through the National Cup Recycling Scheme’s Beyond the Bin fund to investigate why paper cups continue to be missed by mainstream recycling systems.
University College London (UCL) has been named the winner of the National Cup Recycling Scheme’s Beyond the Bin project fund, receiving more than £44,000 to support research into paper cup recycling.
The funding, announced in August 2025, will support an eight-month project led by UCL’s Centre for Behaviour Change, which specialises in applied behavioural science. The research will examine the behavioural, structural and systemic barriers that prevent paper cups from being recycled through existing waste management routes.
According to the National Cup Recycling Scheme, UCL was selected following a competitive process that attracted a wide range of submissions focused on research, infrastructure improvements and awareness-raising initiatives.
Hannah Osman, manager of the National Cup Recycling Scheme, said the competition was closely contested, with UCL emerging as the preferred proposal. She said the project’s focus on systems mapping and behaviour aligned with the scheme’s aim of reducing the number of paper cups sent to landfill.
The research will involve engagement with stakeholders across retail, waste management, manufacturing and policy. UCL’s team will develop a behavioural systems map to illustrate how actions, barriers and enablers interact across the paper cup recycling system.
The project will also draw on data analysis using systems effects software and the COM-B behaviour model, alongside a review of existing academic and practical literature. A case study of an existing intervention will be produced in collaboration with the National Cup Recycling Scheme and Valpak, before the work concludes with a set of recommendations intended to inform future interventions and policy.
RECOUP, Recorra and Immersive Industry Experiences were named as close runners-up in the funding competition.
The National Cup Recycling Scheme is administered by Valpak by Reconomy and is described as the UK’s largest paper cup recycling initiative. It is funded by participating brands including Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Pret a Manger, Caffè Nero, Lavazza Professional, Greggs and Burger King, and aims to bring together retailers, waste management companies and paper mills to increase paper cup recycling rates.
Matt Spencer, commercial director and group head of sustainability at Caffè Nero, said supporting research into behavioural barriers was an important step alongside infrastructure improvements, adding that insights from the UCL project could help shape more effective recycling solutions for customers, retailers and policymakers.