Detpak cup earns recycling recognition

Adelaide, Australia-based packaging producer Detpak says its cooperation with global packaged foods provider San Remo has resulted in the RecycleMe cup lining for paperboard soup and noodle cups that uses 40 percent less plastic and can be accepted in postconsumer recycling programs.

The RecycleMe cup has recently won a silver award at the Australasian Packaging Innovation and Design Awards. 

Detpak says the RecycleMe noodle cup “is one of the first of its kind, eliminating more than 35 million expanded polystyrene (EPS) cups from landfill each year.” By replacing EPS cups with what the firm calls a recyclable alternative, the new noodle cup “allows for valuable paper fibers to live again when the cups are disposed of via curbside recycling,” states Detpak.

The new cup is being used for San Remo’s Fantastic and Suimin noodles in the Australian market. Detpak says it has been working on the alternative packaging option since 2019.

“Working with partners such as San Remo to develop these sustainable solutions is incredibly exciting,” says Mark Rohrlach, a sales manager with Detpak. “Our team of experts [takes] the time to find the right solution for each of our partners that keeps them ahead of the market in sustainability and functionality.”

Comments James Askham-Levy, chief marketing officer of San Remo Macaroni, “The RecycleMe Noodle Cup is a true example of innovation in sustainable packaging. It was clear right from the start of this project that both San Remo and Detpak had a clear and common goal to remove EPS cups from the environment while providing a suitable, sustainable solution that matched the functionality of the EPS cups.”

Detpak says the RecycleMe lining is “truly recyclable” because the lining is easily separated from the paper or board material through existing repulping methods and facilities. “Importantly, the cups also feature the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) for curbside recycling, making it easy for consumers to understand how to responsibly dispose of their packaging,” adds the firm.

Johnny Gold of New Jersey-based The Gold Group says similar products are available to consumer packaged good companies in the United States. Gold has been working with California-based Smart Planet to boost the adoption of similar products in the U.S.

“This cup is qualified and labeled as curbside recyclable in Australia, while a poly-coated noodle cup would not qualify,” comments Gold. “This noodle cup passes industry standard recyclability tests. This is a great example of what true paper cup recyclability actually is.”

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