Exploring the Fate of Paper Cups in Soil: A Sustainable Journey

Continuing our eco-friendly paper cup sustainable journey, let’s delve into the fascinating story of paper cups and their environmental impact.

Imagine placing plastic-coated and water-based coated eco-friendly paper cups in natural soil conditions for three weeks. Both cups, commonly found in supermarkets, were of the same hot cup design with either an internal plastic coating or an eco-friendly coating (for easy comparison, half of each cup was buried in the soil while the other half remained exposed).

Week One

The plastic-coated paper cup showed minimal change, except for a slight softening of the cup. In contrast, the eco-friendly coated cup’s bottom had already decomposed into the soil, and the cup’s body started to deteriorate, revealing an intriguing ecosystem with earthworms and small insects.

Week Two

The plastic-coated cup exhibited torn paper on its body, with the plastic layer visible, but no significant changes. However, the buried portion of the eco-friendly coated cup had completely disintegrated, emphasizing a stark contrast when compared to the exposed portion.

Week Three

For the plastic-coated cup, the buried section showed substantial paper decay, exposing the plastic layer. Surprisingly, the eco-friendly coated cup’s decomposed portion had seamlessly integrated with the soil, becoming indistinguishable, and even small grass sprouts were visible.

It seems our focus for further observation will be on the plastic-coated cup. How long do you think it will take for the intact plastic layer to emerge?

Stay tuned for our next experiment, where we’ll introduce PLA-coated paper cups for comparison, examining the potential of biodegradable plastics in a natural environment. Let the anticipation begin!

Lastly, enjoy a glimpse of a lab experiment comparing the recyclability of paper from both types of cups. On the left, the plastic-coated cup struggles to break down during pulping, making recycling challenging. On the right, the eco-friendly coated cup demonstrates high-quality recycled pulp, highlighting its sustainable advantage.