Grants for UK Projects Improving Paper Cup Recycling

The Beyond the Bin Fund is offering financial support for projects that aim to increase the recycling or reuse of on-the-go paper cups in the UK.

Grants of up to £45,000 are available. Funding can be used to cover staff costs, project materials and equipment, communications, venue or travel expenses, data and evaluation, professional fees and reasonable project-related overheads.

Eligible applicants include UK based businesses and brands such as coffee chains, retailers and venues, as well as local authorities, universities, research institutions, startups and social enterprises. Collaborative projects will also be considered, provided one organisation acts as the lead applicant.

The funding is intended to encourage new approaches to addressing challenges in paper cup recycling and recovery. Potential activities include awareness campaigns designed to increase recycling rates, improvements to collection and recycling infrastructure, and research that develops practical solutions for the recyclability of paper cups.

By supporting projects across different sectors, the fund aims to help reduce the environmental impact of single-use paper cups by creating and testing scalable solutions for their reuse or recycling.

Applications open on 1 September 2025 and must be submitted by the deadline of 31 October 2025. For more information, please visit Beyond the Bin Fund | Recycling Paper Cups