Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/disposable-products

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Plastic cup

Container made of plastic

Plastic cup
Summary

Container made of plastic

Assorted plastic cups
A plastic [[measuring cup

A plastic cup is a cup made out of plastic, commonly used as a container to hold beverages. Some are reusable while others are intended for a single use followed by recycling or disposal.

Disposable plastic cups are often used for gatherings where it would be inconvenient to wash dishes afterward, due to factors such as location or number of guests. Plastic cups can be used for storing most liquids, but hot liquids may melt or warp the material. A common design in the United States is a red plastic cup, often used for serving alcoholic beverages.

Environmental issues

A single-use red plastic cup with a [[drinking straw

Most plastic cups are designed for single uses and then disposal or recycling. A life cycle inventory of a comparison of paper and plastic shows environmental effects of both with no clear winner.

Production of 1 t of plastic cup emits 135 lb of green house gases.

The choice between paper cups and plastic cups has to do with the life of the item after use. A paper cup may biodegrade faster than a expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam cup or a plastic cup. In general cardboard or paper takes one to three months for biodegradation, as the majority of the content, up to 95%, is made with wood chips. A plastic cup can take up to 90 years to biodegrade, depending on the type of plastic.

Plastic cups are made with oil, which is not a renewable source. On the other hand, paper cups can be sourced from forests which fall under sustainable management.

Plastic cups, especially those made with polystyrene, are also a possible health hazard as chemicals may leach into the beverage. This is more likely to happen with warm drinks (hot chocolate, tea and coffee) than with cold drinks.

References

References

  1. (2018). "Reducing marine pollution from single-use plastics (SUPs): A review". Marine Pollution Bulletin.
  2. (1991). "Paper Versus Polystyrene: A Complex Choice". Science.
  3. (March 28, 2013). "How To Recognize the Plastics That Are Hazardous To Your Health".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

disposable-products liquid-containers drinkware plastics-applications
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Plastic cup — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report