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But what would you be using instead and why would that material not have broadly similar negatives?
by learnstats2 7y ago
But what would you be using instead and why would that material not have broadly similar negatives?
- ehnto 7y agoIt vastly depends on the product, but it is a question worth asking over and over again when we design products. It has historically been plastic because it is cheap and readily altered to match the exact needs of the product. Rigid, soft, rugged, smooth, coarse, we can make a plastic suit. Plastic cups are a good example, we have numerous materials at our disposal but we make disposable cups and containers out of plastic. Even bio-degradable plastic cups are a bad choice of material, as they take special circumstances to break down that many municipalities don't provide for and most users aren't carrying their bio degradable cups home to put in their compost. If they end up in the ocean, they will last just as long as other plastics. So that is bad product design, it doesn't take the full product lifecycle into account and ignores even it's typical usage of just a single serve drink used once. Plastics have spoiled us too, so in many cases there probably isn't an alternative that is just as good. We may just have to accept that and find ways to make better materials out of more sustainable sources.
- learnstats2 7y agoYes - I've also heard criticism of bio-degradable plastic cups from environmental groups. But, I missed it if you said it - what material should we ideally use for disposable cups, currently?
- ehnto 7y agoI would personally pick paper for single use cups. It is not perfect, still quite resource intensive to make and still unlikely to be recycled properly. But they can at least be sustained through sustainable forestry and the waste will degrade in the most likely places it will end up.