Unique and biodegradable coffee cups: our guide

Nowadays, all kinds of cups have been created to drink coffee. There are all kinds of materials that allow coffee to be carried and keep its temperature. A great quality is that these cups are biodegradable.

Usually coffee is drunk hot and in order to carry it, it is convenient that it does not get cold. This can be a problem because most of the materials that can conserve heat are not biodegradable.

In the United States and Europe several companies are dedicated to creating biodegradable coffee cups that meet all the requirements of the users, above all that they conserve the heat of the coffee.

Associations specializing in coffee and in the manufacture of ecological paper cups have created the first cups. Below are the advantages and disadvantages of these materials.

Most of the paper coffee cups are coated on the inside with a plastic called polyethylene, and although it is a thin film that is intended to keep the heat and liquid from escaping, the cup is not biodegradable.

The new coffee cups have great ecological advantages and are replacing polyethylene cups. What is really new is a bioplastic cup that is also used as a cup lid and is used to carry coffee.

Interestingly with this new biodegradable material can give more energy to households and also avoids polluting the environment.

The bioplastic for coffee cups, a green alternative

Recently, environmental groups and climate change problems in general have led to improve the materials and raised awareness on the subject of recycling with the aim of reducing the production of plastic.

Although plastic is still a widely used material and is present in our daily lives, we now know new ways to use it without having to throw it away.

The new alternative is bioplastic and its derivatives: the cultivation of starch, vegetable paper from corn, wheat, tomatoes or banana leaves that are marketed very well. Many of them are used in coffee cups as they retain heat well because they are an ecological bioplastic.

Various types of Bioplastics

The main ones are those obtained from vegetable crops, such as corn, sugar cane, green or dried leaves or starch, among others. Also PHA or polyhydroxyalkanoates that can be obtained from the fermentation of vegetable raw material with some bacteria that perform this function.

These plastics have mostly the same properties as industrial plastics, which are not biodegradable, with the great advantage that they are absorbed by the ecosystem.

In recent years, their use has become popular in the United States and Europe, due to the new needs and demands that have arisen among users.

Advantages and disadvantages of bioplastics

Their use has the following advantages:

• They do not contain chemical substances that can pollute the environment
• They are created totally biodegradable, producing less waste in landfills
• They are also recyclable because they can be used as fertilizers or compost or natural fertilizer.
• They are 100% renewable materials so they integrate well into the environment
• They are used for packaging and to make coffee cups that are marketable all over the world
• Maintains the temperature of the coffee for as long as plastic does without altering the taste of the coffee or the food and beverages you carry in them.
• The disadvantages of bioplastics
• Its production costs are higher, which means that prices are not as competitive, although work is being done to optimize the product at lower costs
• There is a little lack of knowledge on the subject among large manufacturers and marketers, even though it is becoming more popular.
• Corn and wheat can raise their costs according to the market, however they are working on several alternatives to improve costs or more stable costs.
• The population does not know that they should not be mixed with non-biodegradable plastics.

Coffee cups that are biodegradable

Coffee cups are also made of various plastics that are biodegradable with or without lids and straws.

Finding biodegradable coffee containers or cups in the cafeteria or restaurant is already common in many parts of Europe. They are of very good quality and preserve the taste, smell and temperature of the coffee.

You can not notice much difference at first glance but in its manufacture makes the difference, you can probably take one of these cups made of sugar cane for example and notice that your coffee is client, it does not melt and rather optimizes the heat