Eco-friendly disposable cups - possible???

[Squaredy]

1 hour ago, spandit said:

I'd bet polystyrene cups are easier to recycle and use less energy to manufacture in the first place.

I don’t know about where you live but in my area polystyrene cannot be recycled.  I know areas which actually won’t recycle any plastic except bottles.  Manchester and Pembrokeshire for example.

[Squaredy]

51 minutes ago, Woodworks said:

This is one of the those counter intuitive things that may well be the case. The way there is far less carbon involved in making a plastic  bag than a paper one. 

 

I go to a cafe that uses compostable cups and have messaged them to find out what brand they use but they may well be the PLA ones

 

Any reason you cant sent them to the council recycling where they would get hot enough to break down?

 

If you put them in with council recycling they will be removed and sent to landfill or incineration just like traditional paper cups.

[peter.]

why not just use a regular pottery mug, you can use them many times over many years. mmm

[Squaredy]

18 minutes ago, peter. said:

why not just use a regular pottery mug, you can use them many times over many years. mmm

Well it may come to this but it is a coin operated machine which random customers help themselves to without me or my staff getting involved.  Sometimes they get a coffee and then go for a walk in the forest.

 

Also it is in an unheated building and cold china cools drinks quickly.

[Squaredy]

5 hours ago, topchippyles said:

Squaredy My mate owns and runs Transcend Packaging who are the makers of the new recyclable straws for mcdonalds,Lee also owns Fencing & Decking who have a few sites around south wales and he buys a fair bit of timber from me,Spoke with him last week and i think they are developing a new range of cups to,

Bit more info below 

Transcend Packaging

 

Ebbw Vale firm Transcend Packaging lands McDonald's deal ...

 

Thanks for that Les I missed your post until just now.  I will follow your link with great interest.

[Dan Maynard]

One of my engineering customers (make engine parts) have always had free vend coffee machines. They recently stopped putting plastic cups in the machines and issued every member of staff with an insulated mug. Now I have to remember to bring a mug when I go there to do a service or else I can't have a coffee.

Not sure that works for you, not very welcoming to guests.

[Squaredy]

Update: I have been in contact with the RSPB who claim on their website to have eliminated plastic cups from their Bempton Cliffs Reserve Cafe.  The sad news is there seems to be nothing available at the moment,  The RSPB use PLA lined paper cups at Bempton Cliffs and then send them for landfill and incineration.  Yes that's right, they may as well have just stuck with plastic.  It seems the RSPB are guilty of a bit of greenwashing there.

 

So I hope Topchippyles' mate in Ebbw Vale can create a new product that solves this problem, as it seems it is still unresolved.  In fact I would go as far as to say the PLA lined cups could be a backward step if they are advertised as compostable; people may throw them out of their car window thinking they will quickly rot, or put them in their own home composters.

 

If I learn any more I will update this thread.  Meanwhile at my work I think we will have to provide china cups and hope they are mainly returned!

Edited November 30, 2019 by Squaredy

[openspaceman]

17 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

In fact I would go as far as to say the PLA lined cups could be a backward step if they are advertised as compostable; people may throw them out of their car window thinking they will quickly rot, or put them in their own home composters.

I see this but in your case is there any danger of people disposing of them improperly?

 

If not what problem do you have with landfill or incineration?

[agrimog]

polystyrene cups are very easily re-cycled, a small bin container with a solvent is used, the cups melt in seconds and you continue to put cups into the solution until no more will dissolve, the recycling companies then take this styrene solution back for re proccsessing into more polystrene products, a company I used to work for could get rid of a barn size pile of packaging into a 45gall on drum which was delivered 1/4 full of solvent and returned full to the brim with the styrene solution, this is packing that would otherwise have gone to landfill

[agrimog]

and as a side note...we used to use the solution to paint onto boards that were going to be in contact with the ground, when it dried it was a plastic like coating as hard as steel