Takeaway cups may be releasing microplastics into your coffee
Single-use paper cups used for takeout coffee and other beverages release millions of microplastic particles when exposed to hot liquid, University of Queensland researchers have found.
Single-use paper cups used for takeout coffee and other beverages release millions of microplastic particles when exposed to hot liquid, University of Queensland researchers have found.
The short version
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- A team from UQ's Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences examined single-use cups lined with fossil-based polyethylene (PE) or the biodegradable alternative polylactic acid (PLA).
- Elvis Okoffo said both types of cups were found to release plastic particles, but PLA-lined, or biodegradable plastic-lined, cups released 12 times more.
What happened
"Single-use paper cups are used every day by millions of people around the world for coffee, tea and other hot beverages," Okoffo said. "A cup made mostly of paper does not mean that the cup is plastic-free because many contain a thin plastic lining that provides water resistance and structural integrity.
Why it matters
"Our results show that plastic-lined paper cups release substantial quantities of micro- and nanoscale plastic material when exposed to hot water.
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