AI Paper Cup Recycling Pilot Launches in Cardiff

Cardiff has launched a world-first, AI-powered recycling initiative aimed at tackling paper cup waste, in partnership with Keep Wales Tidy, the National Cup Recycling Scheme, and the Bower app. The three-month pilot allows consumers to return used paper cups to participating Caffè Nero, Costa Coffee, Greggs, McDonald’s, and Pret a Manger stores, earning a 5p reward per cup through the Bower app, which uses image recognition to verify returns. This innovative scheme seeks to address the significant challenge posed by the UK's estimated 2.5 billion annual paper cup disposals, many of which end up in landfill due to limited recycling options. The AI technology, developed in collaboration with Google, enables instant cup identification and aims to make recycling more accessible and rewarding for the public. Most paper cups can be recycled multiple times, with their fibres repurposed into products like paper packaging and the plastic lining used for items such as garden furniture. Organizers hope that by engaging consumers and collaborating across industries, the scheme will reduce litter, keep valuable materials in use, and provide data to scale up similar efforts in the future.