What kind of plastic are solo cups made from

Yesterday, I was reading an article from Earthday. As per this article, every year people use more than 16 billion disposable coffee cups around the world. Imagine, how much non-disposable plastic waste we are creating everyday on this beautiful earth? This led me to rethink about how much plastic coffee cups I should use in my daily life. Are Solo coffee cups recyclable and if not, what should we do to reduce this plastic garbage in our locality?

If you are looking for the short answer then I must tell you that not all Solo cups are recyclable. These red cups come with number 6 plastic which can not be recycled in every area. You will need to check in your area whether the local municipal authority processes the number 6 plastic in their local recycle center. If not, you will have to get in touch with the companies like Terracycle which process all types of Solo plastic cups and hard to recycle plastic material.

But if you are looking for more eco-friendly and biodegradable options, then I highly recommend you to use their 12 oz and 16 oz Solo Paper Hot Cup with Lid only. But you can compost these cups easily and repurpose as well as reuse them in your home and garden too. So, remember to use these types of Solo paper cups only instead of harmful plastic cups next time you visit your local grocery store.

I will not go into much details of manufacturing process of these Solo cups. If you want to read how the company manufactures these Solo plastic cups in the factory, then just read this article from Chicagotribune. And if you are interested in knowing the history of Solo Cup company, then do check out their company about us section here. The most important thing to know from this about page is that the Solo company started to manufacture cups that are made from recyclable, compostable and renewable materials from the year If you do want to use their eco-friendly and recyclable cups then I strongly recommend to buy their cups that come with Bare label.

This Bare is their eco-forward product which is made from as much eco-friendly material as possible. It is simultaneously pushed and sucked, and as a result, it forms a batch of identical plastic cups. Next, another machine cuts the cups out of the sheet.

The scraps are being recycled and turned into new granulate — at Amhil, we believe in a circular economy so nothing goes to waste. From the cutter, the cups go to a machine that lays them on the conveyor belt. The cups are then reheated — the plastic need to soften again before they hit the next stage — the final forming.

Finally, all rims are rounded, and the plastic cups are good to go through to the final quality control checks. Your email address will not be published. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and suspected to be both cancerous and a neurotoxin for humans. Find out more from EJnet. Alternative Ways to Recycle. Aluminum vs.