New children’s book turns used coffee cups into story of hope and second chances

A new children’s book is giving single-use coffee cups an unexpected second life by transforming them into the very pages of its story. Little Coffee Cup’s Big Surprise is a heartwarming tale that invites young readers on a journey of transformation, recycling, and environmental awareness.

The book follows the adventures of a discarded coffee cup as it embarks on a hopeful quest to become something new. Along the way, readers meet a cast of charming characters, including Maisy Moo the Cow and a spirited toad, brought vividly to life through playful illustrations by creative studio PLUS3K. The result is an imaginative and engaging introduction to the principles of circular design and sustainability.

What makes the book truly special is that it’s made from recycled coffee cups – literally. Through a unique process called CupCycling^®, used cups are collected and upcycled into high-quality paper, which has been used to print the book itself. This blend of storytelling and sustainability means every copy of Little Coffee Cup’s Big Surprise is both a narrative and a real-life example of positive environmental impact.

The story was penned by debut author Hayley Slack, who was inspired by the everyday waste she saw and wanted to create something hopeful for her children and future generations.  “I’ve always thought that if I did my own book, I’d want it to be a special book – an environmentally friendly book, I suppose,” says Hayley, who works at waste management company Biffa. “I thought it should be made from recycled content. Working in the waste industry, I know how much paper is generated and wasted every day, and I feel like it’s a natural resource that we could all do more with.”

The CupCycling® process, developed by advanced materials and paper specialist James Cropper, takes centre stage at the book’s close, where fiction meets reality. In a clever twist, the Little Coffee Cup’s final destination is revealed to be the very mill where the actual book was produced, located in the Lake District. James Cropper’s CupCycling^® facility at Burneside Mill is the first in the world dedicated to upcycling coffee cups into premium paper products.

This collaborative project between Hayley Slack, PLUS3K, and James Cropper showcases what’s possible when creativity meets sustainability. Last year alone, the CupCycling^® programme helped divert 58 million coffee cups from landfill, repurposing them into materials used by global luxury brands.

“It really annoyed me that this isn’t the norm,” says Hayley. “We’ve got this waste stream – why aren’t we using it? I wanted to challenge the publishing industry to try and come up with a different solution. And James Cropper wanted to challenge the recycling industry to think differently about paper cups. And together, we proved both things are possible.”

With an estimated 3.2 billion disposable cups used in the UK each year, and infrastructure in place to recycle them, the challenge now lies in participation and collection. Programmes like CupCycling^® demonstrate how industry-led innovation can step in where policy falls short, especially in light of the UK government’s recent decision to scrap a proposed mandatory cup takeback scheme.