Characteristics of a plastic cup
For example, the “thermal” cups that are so practical for hot or cold beverage delivery are made of the raw material expanded polystyrene (EPS) and are more sustainable than cups made of other materials.
The recyclability of a product is fundamental to sustainability and the circular economy. Plastic cups are recyclable, while paper cups are not, as they have a polyethylene film glued inside to make them impermeable, but this makes them difficult to recycle.
Which plastic bottles can be reused
Household waste is any waste, which cannot be recycled or is very difficult to recycle. However, this does not mean that it is worthless. We process everything that ends up in the gray household waste garbage can, as well as other things, in our modern waste incineration plant into “green” energy and clean heat.
The recycling garbage can is for packaging and other items made of metal, plastic or composite materials. In Berlin, the recycling garbage cans are either yellow or orange. The same products are disposed of in both.
Used glass is completely recyclable. It can be melted as many times as you want without losing quality and reprocessed into new bottles, containers and jars. It is not necessary to rinse the glasses and bottles. However, separate the clear, green and brown glass correctly. This is important for the subsequent recycling process.
Oil bottles can be recycled
(1) Order AAA/1783/2013 introduces Commission Directive 2013/2/EU of February 7, 2013, amending Annex I of Directive 94/62/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on packaging and packaging waste into national legislation.
(3) In 2011, Ecoembes collected €413 million from packaging manufacturers for the so-called green dot, to cover the extra cost of the selective collection of all waste of this type through the yellow container (metal, plastic and briks packaging) and the blue container (paper and cardboard packaging).
From what you say about the recycling plants, I understand that the best way to recycle the bottle caps is to donate them to the various charitable causes that collect them to raise money. Is this the case or are the caps that we put in the yellow container also recycled?
So… in the yellow container only packaging should be thrown away because only packaging is recycled (since the manufacturer pays for it). The rest of the products (a broken plastic toy for example) is not recycled even if it is thrown in the yellow container?
Plastic cups are recycled
Disposable coffee cups are a staple in coffee shops around the world. They are affordable for businesses and convenient for customers. However, only 1 in 400 cups is recycled in major coffee consuming countries, such as the UK. They therefore pose a major problem for increasing levels of waste. In addition, they are difficult to recycle for a number of reasons.
So why is it so difficult to recycle single-use cups, and why don’t people opt for reusable alternatives? To learn more about these problems and what can be done to solve them, I spoke with several industry experts.
Many takeaway coffee cups are made from petroleum-based plastics, such as Styrofoam, polypropylene or polyethylene-coated paper. These materials retain heat well and prevent leakage, overall providing a better consumer experience.
Both polystyrene foam and polypropylene are affordable and readily available to manufacturers, but are difficult to recycle. There are also difficulties in recycling paper cups, as they must be treated to remove the plastic liner.