"Isn't It Environmental Pollution?" Disposable Cups with Cup Holders Again, What Do You Think?

Frequent Use of 'Coated' 'Cup Holders'
Three Disposable Cups Used per Drink...Criticism of Resource Waste and Environmental Pollution
Citizens Say "Stop Using Disposable Products...Recycling Is Also Difficult"

The image shows the use of paper cups instead of cup holders. A paper cup is placed over a plastic cup, and another paper cup is placed over the first paper cup. This cup holder is coated, making it difficult to recycle.
Photo by Jumi Lee, Intern Reporter zoom_0114@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Lee Joo-mi] Recently, some cafes have been providing paper cup holders with a coating treatment that are slipped over cups to make them easier and safer to hold. However, this practice has raised criticism for causing not only resource waste but also difficulties in recycling, potentially leading to environmental pollution.

A man in his 20s, office worker Kim, who received coffee with a coated cup holder at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, said, "At first, I found it interesting, but recently I have seen many cafes giving cups like this, and I became worried about environmental pollution."

Among cafe employees, concerns about environmental pollution are also being voiced. Lee, who works at a cafe near a busy area in Seoul, said, "At some point, the owner changed the service to provide customers with cup holders that are difficult to recycle," adding, "I am worried not only about resource waste caused by indiscriminate use of disposables but also about environmental pollution."

There are also criticisms that these cup holders fail to serve their intended function, lack practicality, and only waste resources. Choi, a man in his 30s working at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, pointed out, "Some customers ask for an extra paper cup to be slipped on or even request a cup holder," adding, "In such cases, environmental pollution is even more concerning." Summarizing the complaints and opinions of cafe employees, it appears that generally three disposable cups are used per one beverage.

Cup holders finished with such coating materials are not easy to recycle. Paper cups are coated inside with polyethylene, a type of plastic, to prevent the paper from getting wet from the beverage. Because of this plastic, if disposed of mixed with regular paper, they cannot be recycled.

Moreover, the polyethylene coating inside must be separated in a process that is itself difficult, making recycling into paper raw materials challenging. Additionally, most of these are either landfilled or incinerated, causing environmental problems such as the emission of harmful gases. Unlike general paper products that take about 2 to 5 months to decompose after landfilling, these take approximately 30 years.

The image shows the use of a paper cup instead of a cup holder. One paper cup is nested inside another paper cup. Photo by Jumi Lee, intern reporter zoom_0114@asiae.co.kr

However, some cafes argue that the use of such coated cup holders is unavoidable. They claim that to improve their cafe’s image and to offer customers a unique experience, they have no choice but to provide cup holders finished with special treatments like coating rather than ordinary paper materials.

Kim, a woman in her 40s who owns a cafe, emphasized, "Cup holders cover the cafe’s name, so we use paper cups instead to differentiate our cafe." However, regarding some criticisms that this may cause environmental pollution, Kim explained, "We are still making efforts for the environment by using eco-friendly products."

Lee, who has been running a cafe in Seoul for 16 years, confessed, "Just like people recognize Starbucks by its cup, I wanted to create an identity unique to our cafe."

Lee also said, "(Our cafe) has many takeout customers, and since coffee cools quickly when taken outside, we use paper cups to address this issue," adding, "We are fully aware of environmental issues, but eco-friendly products are too expensive, so even if we want to use them, it is realistically difficult."

Environmental organizations have suggested that this phenomenon should be avoided not only due to resource waste but also from the perspective of environmental conservation. Heo Seung-eun, head of the Green Society Team at Green Korea United, advised in a phone interview with Asia Economy, "Using paper cups for marketing purposes rather than the original function of cup holders is unnecessary and should be improved for the environment." He added, "As the deposit system for disposable cups will be implemented from next year and society is making efforts to reduce waste, double use of disposable cups should be refrained from."