Paper Cups Compost Coffee Cup Sleeves If the sleeves are soiled with coffee or other food, they should be composted. Not Just Paper Paper cups can’t be recycled because they’re not just made of paper; they’re usually also lined with plastic or wax to prevent the liquid from leaking through the cup. Learn more about this here: Why aren’t coffee cups recyclable, if cartons are? Lids Are Recyclable You can recycle the lids to your coffee cups. Straws Are Plastic #5 Straws are generally made from plastic #5. Find out what to do with straws. Ways to Reduce Save $0.25 at the Peet's Stand at the Cafeteria Bring your own travel mug or tumbler to the coffee stand at the Cafeteria, and you’ll get 25 cents off your cup of coffee. Did You Know? Why Don’t Most Starbucks Recycle Cups? As of 2013, Starbucks offered recycling in 39% of its stores. You’d think it would be universal, but there’s no great recycling technology for coffee cups yet, so many commercial recyclers don’t accept them, leaving Starbucks with nowhere to send the cups. Read more about Starbucks’ efforts to recycle and reduce waste here. Could Paper Cups Be Transformed into Biofuels? University of Manitoba researchers have been studying whether cups could conceivably be made into biofuels. So far, the results are pretty promising.