A new paper cup has been developed by AkzoNobel that it says is the world's first that is fully compostable and recyclable. Thanks to the new EvCote Waste Barrier 3000 coating technology, that is made from plant-based oils and recycled PET bottles, the cups can be collected and recycled in the current waste stream, according to AkzoNobel. According to the company, roughly 200 billion paper cups are used around the world each year, but none of these currently can be recycled without incurring prohibitive costs or greatly diminishing the quality of the fibre. But when paper coated with EvCote is recycled, AkzoNobel says that the quality of the fibre remains intact. It adds that in some cases, due to the fibre being strengthened by the coat, that paper produced from the waste can achieve higher strength than the uncoated paper. An additional advantage is that it enables paper mills to recapture 100 per cent of paper waste from the production process that is currently sent to landfill.