Disposable cups

Disposable cups harm people and nature

Coffee-to-go paper cups: coffee enjoyment with chemicals

Thanks to the coronavirus crisis, the air in cities has improved. However, the use of disposable packaging that is harmful to the environment and climate has skyrocketed. Every coffee from a plastic-coated paper cup is a contact with chemicals that are harmful to health, warns Deutsche Umwelthilfe: for adults and young people - and even for unborn children.

1.6 billion plastic-coated paper cups are produced in Germany every year - for an uncomplicated coffee-to-go from the bakery, train station or petrol station. The problem: the cups, which are used once and never again, not only pollute the environment, they can also be harmful to health.

Environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) is now warning against toxic chemicals that have been detected in the plastic coating of disposable tableware and can enter the body when drinking coffee. "The perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) from disposable cups accumulate in organisms and can be harmful to humans, as they are excreted very slowly and accumulate primarily on proteins in the blood, liver and kidneys," says a statement from the environmental organisation. Of particular concern is the fact that the substances can be unintentionally passed on from mother to child during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Possible consequences: low birth weight in babies. In adults, the toxins can increase susceptibility to infections.

Coffee cup chemicals detected in children's blood

DUH's warning about toxic substances in coffee cups is prompted by a recent study by the Federal Environment Agency, which confirms the use of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances in plastic-coated disposable tableware. PFAS are used to make the polythene film they contain water-repellent. According to DUH, the toxic substances have already been detected in the blood of children and adolescents. Despite potential health risks, the use of this group of chemicals has so far been largely unregulated, criticises the environmental organisation. Like the German Federal Environment Agency, the environmental organisation is therefore calling for a ban on the use of PFAS in food contact packaging and advises consumers to use reusable cups that are harmless to health and climate-friendly.

Alternatives to the coffee-to-go paper cup:

Do not take coffee with you, but drink it on site from porcelain cups Bring your own reusable cups for refilling (stainless steel, porcelain) Use food-safe reusable plastic cups, which coffee-to-go providers now offer for a deposit.

"If you want to play it safe and enjoy your tea, cocoa or coffee without chemicals, you should use reusable cups made of stainless steel or porcelain, for example. But food-safe reusable plastic cups made from polypropylene are also safe," explains DUH Head of Recycling Management, Thomas Fischer.

Corona crisis: unchecked increase in to-go packaging

"In view of the unchecked increase in to-go packaging for food and drinks and the potential health risks, it is necessary to extend the ban on disposable plastic products adopted by the Federal Cabinet a fortnight ago to include disposable cups and food boxes made of plastic-coated cardboard," said Barbara Metz, Deputy Federal Managing Director of DUH. According to Umwelthilfe, only a minority of large café chains, bakeries, petrol stations and restaurants are currently participating in reusable cup systems. As voluntary participation does not really work, despite frequent advertising about environmental friendliness and sustainability, the environmental organisation is calling for a statutory reusable cup quota to be set. Large coffee-to-go chains, bakeries and canteen operators should be obliged to set up a nationwide system of reusable deposit cups.

Germany: 2.8 billion disposable cups per year

According to the German environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Germans produce around 2.8 billion disposable cups a year. That's 320,000 cups for coffee, tea or other hot drinks per hour and 5,300 per minute. In Berlin alone, around 460,000 coffee-to-go cups are consumed every day, according to a study by market research company TNS Emnid. Of the total of 2.8 billion cups, 1.66 billion are paper cups with a plastic coating and 1.14 billion are plastic cups made of polystyrene, which are often dispensed from coffee machines.

Discarded disposable cups return as microplastics in food

According to the DUH, the paper cups are largely made from new raw materials and are difficult to recycle due to the mixing of materials. Many used disposable cups for hot drinks are therefore carelessly thrown away and pollute streets, public spaces and nature. If discarded paper cups remain in the environment, the cardboard degrades but the plastic does not. The plastic breaks down into tiny particles and enters the environment as microplastics and can accumulate in food cycles.

Holst Porzellan offers a favourable and perfect alternative

The coffee mugs in the Coffee-to-Go series from Holst Porzellan are reusable porcelain mugs that protect health, the environment and nature. More.