Shanghai experts debunk rumors: Coated paper cups aren't "fake environmentally friendly"!
Recently, amidst the new round of "plastic bans," reports have surfaced that commonly used coated paper cups are being restricted or even removed from the market. Violators could face fines of up to 100,000 yuan. This is because the paper and film are difficult to separate during recycling, and the coating material is non-biodegradable, making them ineligible for recycling as waste paper and subject to incineration or landfill. This makes them essentially pseudo-environmentally friendly products.
Are coated paper cups safe? Reporters sought confirmation from materials experts at Donghua University and East China University of Science and Technology, who concluded that there are misunderstandings and over-interpretations. The rumor that "coated paper cups can't be recycled as waste paper" is a myth.
Reports indicate that the "plastic ban" will completely remove all difficult-to-recycle, polluting, and pseudo-environmentally friendly items from the market, including disposable tableware and cups used in restaurants, takeout, and supermarkets. This includes disposable daily necessities that utilize technologies such as "paper + polyethylene coating" or polylactic acid coating. Disposable paper cups are one of the most common products using polyethylene coating.
Li Bin, a researcher at the Center for Advanced Low-Dimensional Materials at Donghua University, explained that the inner layer of everyday paper cups is often coated with a plastic film, such as polyethylene. This film's primary function is to provide water resistance, preventing liquids like coffee and milk tea from seeping in and causing deformation. Polyethylene has a melting point of approximately 110°C, while beverages, including boiled water, can only reach a maximum of 100°C. Therefore, the polyethylene film ensures safety during use.
So, in the recycling process for paper cups, are these coatings considered environmentally friendly? Li Bin stated that the recycling process for paper cups and paper lunch boxes is virtually identical to that for bulk paper products like express packaging cardboard, presenting no technical challenges. Paper cups are difficult to recycle because they are small and light, typically classified as dry waste, making them difficult to separate for recycling. Of course, in areas with well-established recycling infrastructure, paper cups can be recycled like other waste paper. However, the pulp yield of coated paper cups during recycling is lower than that of other paper products, but this is simply a matter of recycling efficiency. Currently, coated paper cups remain the mainstream product, and there's no internationally mandated legal ban on their replacement. This may lead to restrictions on their use in countries lacking robust recycling systems.
Similar to paper cups, disposable plastic products, such as disposable cutlery, forks, and straws, are also difficult to recycle individually due to their small size and weight. For this reason, some countries have begun banning plastic straws and even cutlery. While disposable cups and tableware made of biodegradable materials like polylactic acid are available, their degradation requires large-scale composting facilities under high temperature and humidity conditions to gradually degrade into carbon dioxide and water. Overall, the exponentially increased production and recycling costs of polylactic acid alternatives, coupled with the current inability to compost individually, significantly limits their application.
For this reason, experts recommend that people bring their own water bottles and reduce the use of disposable cups. This is why many coffee and tea chain restaurants offer incentives to encourage customers to bring their own cups in exchange for lower prices.
