TODAY Kendal-based paper making firm James Cropper Plc has received its first batch of coffee cups from Forge Waste & Recycling, a waste management service in Leeds.

James Cropper's mill has been recycling from disposable cups since 2013 when it unveiled a purpose-built reclaimed fibre facility – the first commercial processing plant in the world able to separate valuable pulp fibres from the polythene lining of billions of cups thrown away each year.

These cups have been collected in as part of the initiative #Leedsbyexample set up by Hubbub, an environmental group.

Each block weighs more than 800 kilos and is made up of cups gathered in Leeds in just a couple of weeks.

James Croppers is recognised by the paper industry as a landmark development in the progression of sustainable paper production.