Coffee companies and cafés looking to provide a more sustainable option in Wellington have been left in the cold, as Wellington’s composting facility has stopped taking compostable cups. Although it may sound silly, composting a takeaway cup isn’t as easy as it sounds, and the flow of incoming compostable coffee cups does not make the expensive operation worthwhile. The facility would need to run a second stream alongside the organic compost for the cups to continue being processed; furthermore, the cups would have to be uncontaminated and coming in at a rate of around 200,000 cups a month. Currently, the facility is receiving about 100 cups a day.
While there is an annoyance from coffee companies who have invested into compostable cups to make a difference for the environment, people are urged to bring keep cups, or enjoy their coffee inside the café wherever possible.
