The Single-Use Cup Crisis: Is Your Daily Coffee or Pop Habit Environmentally Sustainable?

Many Canadians consume single-use plastic products every day. A coffee on the go, a soda from a drive-thru, or a drink at a social gathering often comes in a single-use plastic cup.

Although the impact of a coffee on the go may not seem inherently bad, the consequences prove otherwise. Canadians discard 1.6 billion single-use plastic cups annually (2024). Canadians are beginning to understand the negative impact single-use plastic products have on the environment, but simple comforts are difficult to give up. This crisis begs the question: What is the most sustainable cup?

The Single-Use Cup Crisis article gives a more in-depth look by Lark Scientific writer Brooke Cupelli.

What are single-use plastic cups? What are they made of?

Single-use plastic cups are exactly what they sound like—a cup made for one-time use! These cups are most frequently used at coffee shops and fast-food restaurants. Although made with the intention of rapid use and discard, they remain in our environment and landfills for much longer.

Generally, single-use cups contain a combination of paper and plastic. Paperboard (a pulp product thicker than standard paper), with an internal paper-plastic laminate (a plastic coating) makes up the majority of single-use cups. The materials make them leak-proof and able to hold beverages of different temperatures. 

These cups can also have wax and bioplastic coatings. Other variables (chemicals, foil, ink) and additional components (lids, sleeves, straws) can contaminate the cups. Almost all disposable cups are incredibly challenging to recycle and do not naturally decompose.

Plastic Recycling in Canada

Single-use cups were among the top five plastic waste items in Canada. There is a measured excess of single-use plastic products attempting to be recycled. 97% of households in Canada with access to recycling report that they use at least one recycling program.

The effort to recycle does not reflect Canadian recycling statistics. Roughly 86% of plastic waste in Canada ends up in the landfill. Only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, with the remaining incinerated, shipped overseas, or left in the environment. Recycling is not enough.

The Broad Impact of Single-use Plastic Cups

The challenges of recycling single-use plastic cups exacerbate their overall adverse nature. 

Processing and manufacturing these cups use substantial water, lumber, and energy. Plus, the negative impact of single-use plastic cups includes plastic debris, harmful chemicals in land and marine environments, as well as floating plastic waste.

Disposable cups also harm human health by releasing microplastics. Hot drinks and acidic carbonated drinks make these plastics release more frequently. Microplastics have many health hazards, such as developmental delays, cardiovascular diseases, and gastrointestinal disorders.

Solutions for the Single-Use Cup Crisis in Canada

The solution to the single-cup crisis in Canada lies in an all-encompassing effort to mitigate. A prompt solution includes companies, consumers, and policy.

With many solutions, education is key. Universities are studying facets regarding solutions like recycling and reusable cups. These studies show that gradual change leads to better public perception and use of reusable cups. 

Consumers with incentives (discounts, stamp cards, etc.) were more likely to remember and use their reusable cup. 

28% of Canadians said that they currently use a reusable cup. With more education and information, this percentage can rise.

Reusable cups are a better option than single-use plastic cups for many reasons. The initial production of reusable cups requires more resources. But repeated usage makes them substantially better for the environment. Willingness to adjust consumer behaviour remedies the largest obstacles of using reusable cups. 

Education and consumer action must meet government policy and regulation if we are to expect large-scale change. 

Canada’s Single-use Plastic Prohibition Regulations (SUPPR) were set in place in June 2022, with further protocols in December 2023. The SUPPR intends to reduce plastic waste that ends up in the environment. There are six categories identified by the government for the SUPPR: 

• checkout bags

• cutlery

• food service ware

• ring carriers

• stir sticks

• straws

  
  

With varying regulations ranging from federal to municipal bans, compliance can be challenging. Plus, the SUPPR has many unsustainable goals that need improvements and revisions, including better public perception.

Answering the question “What is the most sustainable cup?”

With legal, social, and environmental challenges to face, resistance against single-use plastics is vital to our future. The basics of the three “Rs” of recycling can remind us that reduction is always the first goal, followed by reuse, and finally recycling.

With reduction at the forefront of our minds, I return to the question I originally posed: What is the most sustainable cup? And the answer, as we actively navigate this issue, is the cup we already own.