Coffee cups usually consist of three parts: the plastic cover on the upper layer, the heat insulation cover provided by some coffee shops on the lower layer, and the plastic cup or paper cup in the middle. Some of these three parts can be recycled and some can't. So can plastic coffee cups be recycled?
1, plastic cover
If you see a recyclable symbol-there is a triangular sign on the lid, it means that it is recyclable and needs to be thrown into the recyclable trash can; If it is not found, it means that it cannot be recycled. Just throw it in the ordinary trash can. Usually black covers are recyclable, but white or transparent plastic covers are generally not recyclable.
2, heat insulation paper sleeve
Some large coffee chain stores generally provide insulating paper sleeves. Basically, all the heat insulation paper covers are made of recyclable paper and need to be thrown into the recyclable trash can.
3. Coffee cups
If it is only 100% paper cup, it can be recycled; However, because pure paper cups cannot withstand the heat and humidity of hot coffee, waterproof plastic is usually added to the inner layer of paper cups. This kind of waterproof plastic can't be recycled. After drinking it, it usually sticks to the paper cup and is not easy to tear. If recycled, it will affect the recycling of pulp, so it needs to be put into a non-recyclable trash can for landfill.
Generally speaking, recycling plastic coffee cups is time-consuming and laborious for businesses and individuals. If you don't want to bother, you can choose to bring your own coffee cup. How to choose coffee cups?
Second, how to choose the right coffee cup
1, color
Choose a ceramic coffee cup or a cup with color in it. It is difficult to distinguish the color when drinking, and it is easy to distort the judgment of depth. If you want to enjoy the amber color of coffee while drinking, it is recommended to choose a coffee cup with white inside.
2. Size
A coffee cup with an open cup can fill the whole mouth when coffee enters, which is especially suitable for coffee with obvious sour taste. The slender coffee cup will make the coffee rush directly to the throat, and it is easy to feel bitter together.
3. Thickness
The thinner the edge of the coffee cup, it will interfere with the feeling of coffee entrance. Some people say that a heavy coffee cup will make people notice the texture of the cup on their hands, but it is not suitable for tasting coffee. However, many people actually prefer coffee cups with handles.
4. Materials
There are many kinds of coffee cups, such as pottery cups, porcelain cups, stainless steel cups, bone China cups, glasses and so on.
Pottery coffee cups are rough and thick, suitable for drinking rich coffee before deep baking, but pottery has water absorption, and if the glaze falls off, it is easy to be polluted and washed away;
Porcelain is the most common. It is light in texture, soft in color and good in heat preservation, which can make the temperature of coffee in the cup lower more slowly, better interpret the delicate fragrance of coffee, and is suitable for coffee with light taste.
Metal coffee cups, which contain metal raw materials, are usually stable, but may dissolve out in acidic environment and are not suitable for drinking coffee;
Plastic coffee cups are cheap and resistant to falling, but many materials will produce harmful substances when heated, which is easy to breed bacteria, so they should not be used as coffee cups.