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Storm in a Little Coff ee Cup: S
James Cropper and Author Hayley Slack on the future of circular publishing
tories are the most powerful drivers of change. They can change what we think and how we feel, inspiring new habits and changing how we react to certain situations. This is why children’s stories are so important – they can impart messages that young people will carry with them for life, helping to shape the future one book at a time.
In a sense, Hayley Stack is living proof of this. The community, education and liaison officer at Biffa is also the newly published author of Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise, a children’s story about a paper cup on its journey through the recycling loop.
Hayley traces the origins of the book back to her own childhood.
“As a mum, I’ve read thousands of children’s books. I’ve always looked at the start to see where they’ve been printed,” she explains. “I think this came from when I was little - my mum worked at Ottakar’s, so when I was growing up, I used to help with stock picks and check the title pages to see if there were errors.
“I’d always look to see where they were made. And then, when reading to my own children, I’d look and see that most of them are actually made in China. That never sat right with me – shipping books halfway across the
world when they could be made in the UK.” She may not have realised it, but this was the beginning of a new chapter in Hayley’s story – and the first chapter in the story behind Little Coffee Cup and the Big Surprise.
PAPER CUPS: THE WHITE WHALE OF RECYCLING
Widespread recycling of paper cups was seen as theoretically possible, but with so many challenges involved it seemed unfeasible. The contamination risks from leftover drinks and food debris. The complexities of separating the plastic barrier linings and sorting different materials. The economics of working with
44 July/August 2025
www.convertermag.com
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