It is not always easy to understand where to throw away ice cream cups, a food that everyone appreciates and consumes. But those paper containers, typical of ice cream shops, leave us with a sea of questions about their disposal. The problem, in fact, is not only the material of the cup, but also the potential presence of food residues, which generates or fuels our doubts.
We often ask ourselves where ice cream cups are thrown awayone of the most popular and consumed foods in the world, especially in the summer. But the answer to this question is not as obvious as it might seem. Doubts arise both from the material the cup is made of and from the possible presence of food residues inside it.
Ice cream shops often give specific instructions already at the time of purchase, not to mention the possibility of leaving dirty cups and napkins on the table of the shop. The staff of the ice cream shop will personally take care of the collection, relieving us of the problem of not knowing how to dispose of this waste.
But, let’s face it, we don’t always sit down at tables to enjoy an ice cream: in fact, this refreshing food is one of the most common street foods. Which means consuming it most of the time on the go, with the real doubt that remains, about where to throw the much discussed cups.
There are many options, since the material the containers in each room are made of changes and, consequently, the type of disposal also changes. But let’s try to investigate more about their separate collection and which bins are interested in recycling.
Ice Cream Cups: What Are They Made Of?
The first doubt about the separate collection of ice cream cups starts from materialwhich looks like paper, but is actually a mixture. It should be remembered, not always, as some containers are even compostable, but often. The point is easy to understand: they must be burdened with the burden of a liquid and cold food inside them.
If they were made of a material that was not very stable, the cups would tend to collapse due to the ice and the watery part generated by the temperature changes. Nobody likes the idea of getting their hands dirty because their ice cream container broke.
For this reason, ice cream cups usually have a layer of polyethylene, therefore plastic, which protects the paper parts that come into contact with food. Usually there is an acronym on polyethylene-based containers, which dispels any doubts. It is PE, as instead for polyvinyl chloride in cellophane the writing PVC is used.
Then there are also cups made 100% from paper and those marked as compostable, to be disposed of differently than those with a plastic sheet.
Where to throw away ice cream tubs: the collection bins
The most suitable bin to throw away dirty ice cream cups is that of the undifferentiated: there are many ice cream shops that display mixed waste bins to help customers with the disposal. But in the case of paper cups, cleaned with a napkin from food residues, the right bin is the one for paper materials.
If the cup specifies that it is made of a compostable material, you can throw it in the organic bin with wet waste. In this case, it is not necessary to clean the container, as ice cream leftovers are part of the type of recyclable food waste.
And if we had purchased a polystyrene ice cream tub, the situation changes again, as it must be washed after use and thrown in the plastic bin.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
