2023-09-02 14:21:00
The hunt for single-use plastics has been launched for several years to limit as much as possible its devastating effect on the environment. We then look for substitutes. And in many cases, cardboard stands out as the ultimate solution. But recent studies are undermining the enthusiasm.
One, arriving straight from Sweden, explains that the complex composition of these paper cups makes them particularly dangerous. To make them waterproof, they are covered with a plasticized surface. “There are chemicals oozing from these objects,” explains researcher Bethanie Carney Almroth, director of the publication.
But beyond this aspect, a more extensive experiment was carried out in order to better understand the decomposition of the cups. For nearly a month, they were immersed in water or compost in which larvae had been placed. At the end of the test phase, the results are clear: the growth of the larvae is broken once brought into contact with a soil containing paper cups.
It is difficult to identify the harmful substances that emanate from these cups. Equally difficult to know if drinking from these cups represents a risk to public health. But on an environmental level, the paper cup thrown into the environment is dramatic, impacting the entire ecosystem in which it is located. And when we know that in the United Kingdom, the recycling of these cups amounts to only 4%, we understand the risks that these cups represent when they are incinerated, buried in the ground or worse, thrown in nature.
Then perhaps there are reusable cups, plastic ones… This becomes interesting as long as they are used several dozen times (between 20 and 100).
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