Paper cups are the future, but are they safe?

he paper used in paper cups is bio-degradable,but not the ldpe used to make the cups sturdy. Anand srinivasan looks at the complexities surrounding the paper cups

The next time you pick up a café latte from your neighbourhood Barista or Starbucks, do take a look at the cup itself. In all likelihood, it would be a paper cup, perhaps lined with plastic or wax. However, if you fancy tea from the vendor next to your office, chances are you will be served a tiny plastic cup.

It is important to understand this dichotomy. While thanks to the government’s ban on non-biodegradable plastic there has been a surge in demand for paper cups, the market is still dominated by plastic.

In the beverage market, plastic cups still have a share of 80%, with the rest 20% being paper cups. This, by no means, is a small number. According to a recent survey, more than one crore paper cups are being used every day.

This makes paper cups manufacturers in India optimistic about the future. Some even go to the extent of saying that in the near future, the demand for paper cups will be 100%, due to the awareness being created and steps being taken by the government to promote the use of paper cups.