Disposable cups and other items have always been popular and would most likely be part of people’s lives for a long time given the trend for quick, easy, and convenient living for the always-on-the-go people. Be it at home or in fast food places, disposable cups are here to stay.
A lot of environmentalists have lobbied against the use of disposable cups and other similar items because of the harm it brings to the environment; however since the same is a necessity the compromise seems to be the invention of biodegradable disposable cups. One of the primary benefits of biodegradable disposable is that it can be commercially composted or can readily break down in landfills in a few months unlike those made from plastic and Styrofoam that need hundreds of years to even start the decomposition process.
There are many kinds of disposable biodegradable cups; some of the more popular include the following:
- Corn Plastics or PLA – this is created by processing corn into starch, thereafter into sugar, and certain microorganisms turn sugar into poly-lactic acid or PLA. This PLA is mixed among various starches and then shaped into cups.
Benefits: Corn plastics came from renewable and sustainable resources; disposable cups made from such materials are strong and have plastic-like consistency; it can tolerate up to about 120 degrees-Fahrenheit of heat without chemical reaction; it’s allergen-free; and can be kept in the freezer
- Bagasse Sugarcane – as the name suggests such products come from sugarcane stalks which are broken down until it becomes fiber. Bagasse refers to paper-like substance from salvaged sugarcane pulp.
Benefits: heat-tolerant; made from renewable and sustainable resource, has a paper-like consistency after processing, microwavable/freezer-safe, allergen-free; decompose naturally in about 180 days or 45-65 days in commercial composting facility.
- Potato Starch (PSM) – this kind is somehow related to PLA considering that plant starch material (PSM) is synthesized from various vegetable starches. The synthesis process, coupled with other chemical modifications increases the ability of the product to be heat-resistant. PSM is done by washing, slicing, and smashing potatoes until the same turns into slurry; afterwards it is processed until cooked starch is formed.