Residents and businesses in Morris, Manitoba, can now put empty paper cups in their blue recycling bins. The change was announced on July 15, 2026, by Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM), the organisation that funds and supports the province’s recycling program for packaging and printed paper. The Town of Morris shared the update on the same day with a post called New Item you can Recycle.
Paper cups, including coffee cups, fountain drink cups, and other hot and cold beverage cups, were never allowed in blue bins before. Their liquid-resistant coating and dyes made them too hard for recycling facilities to sort. Now, MMSM says those facilities can handle paper cups alongside mixed paper. Christa Rust, MMSM’s Executive Director, said the move takes away a long-standing rule that confused many people. “Adding paper cups to the blue bin removes a long-standing exception and makes recycling simpler, clearer, and more convenient,” she said.
There are a few steps to follow. Empty the cup completely, take off the lid and straw, and toss only the cup into the blue bin. Lids and straws still do not belong in recycling. The cardboard sleeve that comes with many coffee cups is fine to include.
Morris residents who miss their regular pickup day can drop recycling at the town’s 24-hour depot. It sits at the Public Works yard at 459 Boyne Ave West. The town is also part of the Recycle Everywhere Program run by the Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association.
The Rural Municipality of Morris, which handles recycling pickup every second Thursday for homes in the surrounding area, also posted the new rule on its website. MMSM pays up to 80 percent of local recycling costs through fees collected from businesses that produce packaging and printed paper. This change lines Manitoba up with places like Toronto and Calgary, where paper cups have been recyclable for a while.
