Paper cups as bad as plastic ones for environment: Research

If you are hoping to reduce plastic pollution, specially food packaging, switching out single-use plastic cups with paper ones may not be a solution. New research has shown that a paper cup causes as much damage to nature as a plastic one, as they both contain toxic chemicals.

Scientists at University of Gothenburg addressed the potential environmental impacts of take-away cups and lids used for hot and cold beverages, which consist of plastic or paper. However, single-use take-away beverage cups made of different materials can all induce toxic effects, they wrote in a study published in journal Environmental Pollution. 

Read more: Ocean litter : What make the mess

The researchers tested the effect of disposable cups made of different materials on the larvae of the butterfly mosquito. Both paper and plastic cups were left out in wet sediment and water for a few weeks. The scientists followed how the leached chemicals affected the larvae. 

“All of the mugs negatively affected the growth of mosquito larvae,” said one of the study authors Bethanie Carney Almroth. She is the professor of environmental science at the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at the University of Gothenburg. 

The leachates impacted growth, development and emergence of chironomid or butterfly mosquito larvae. Effects were observed after seven days of exposure and adverse effects were observed for all the tested take-away packaging materials.

The researchers also noticed stronger effects were observed in contaminated sediment, compared to water. Effects increased with increasing leaching time as well. 

Graphic showing how packaging items were placed by the researchers and left to leach in sediment and freshwater for up to four weeks. The scientists tested paper coated with polylactic acid (PLA+ paper), plastic cups made of polypropylene or PP and lids made of polystyrene or PS. The toxicity of contaminated water and sediment was tested separately with mosquito larvae. Source: Environmental Pollution

The paper that goes into food packaging has a coating applied to its surface, as paper is neither fat nor water resistant, the study pointed out. The plastic film is often made of polylactic acid (PLA), a type of bioplastic commonly produced from corn, cassava or sugarcane.  

PLA, which is marketed as a biodegradable material, can decompose faster than petroleum-based plastics under the right conditions. It is also made from renewable resources rather than fossil fuels, as are 99 per cent of the plastics available on the market. 

However, the study found that PLA can still be toxic.

“Bioplastics do not break down effectively when they end up in the environment, in water. There may be a risk that the plastic remains in nature and resulting microplastics can be ingested by animals and humans, just as other plastics do. Bioplastics contain at least as many chemicals as conventional plastic,” Almroth said.

Significant changes are necessary to lessen the ongoing harm to the environment and threat to our health resulting from the plastic pollution crisis, according to Almroth and the other authors of the paper. They also pointed out the potential hazards of food packaging. 

Read more: Why new rule allowing recycled plastic in food packaging raises concerns

Some chemicals in plastics are known to be toxic, others we lack knowledge about, the authors said on the university website.

“Paper packaging also presents a potential health hazard compared to other materials and it’s becoming more common. We are exposed to the plastics and the associated chemicals via contact with food,” they warned. 

The United Nations’ 193 member-states met May 2023 in Paris to prepare a zero draft of a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. At the end of the five-day meet of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for Plastics, this target was deferred. 

Now, the UN Environment Programme’s INC Secretariat will prepare the zero draft by November this year, when the world meets at Nairobi.

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