A paper cup as the name suggests is a cup however the primary advantage with it is that it’s simply disposable and environmental friendly. Mostly the paper cups are lined with wax or plastic to prevent the content to soak or leak out. Additionally the coating offers additional strength to the cups.
The paper cup manufacturers mostly use recycled paper for the purpose which might be said to be a great step to make sure against environmental balance; in a way reducing the chopping down of trees. Due to these reasons and the cheap rates the paper cups are used broadly all around the globe.
The counterparts of the paper cups which were normally manufactured from some metal or glass are costly to dispose with one time used. Also, using the identical cups by many can be unhygienic. This was in fact the history behind the idea why paper cup were introduced. Therefore it became easier for the railways, public drinking water services, hospitals, colleges, shopping malls to go hand in hand with the health department.
The first paper cup producers were the Dixie cups of the United States. Additionally paper cup manufacturing has created a new profitable business. The Dixie cups were first referred to as Health Kulp and rightly so. At the initial stages paper cups were waterproofed by coating the inside of the cup which made it water-proof however this resulted in smelly drinks. This issue was solved by spraying the both sides of the cups with wax.
With the invention and knowledge of the use of polythene, paper cup producers dispensed with the wax too and waterproofing was accomplished by making use of a very thin layer of polythene (PE) on both sides. This didn’t hamper recycling too and the material was recycled to be used for toilet rolls, copier paper and kitchen rolls.
Currently there are 2 types of coating used by paper cup manufacturers. One is the PE and the other PLA. PE is petroleum based and it slows the process of natural biodegradation and thus should be avoided. The PLA, on the other hand is a biodegradable plastic coating. Therefore use of PLA in paper cups makes them more compostable, while PE has a drawback in this respect.
The lids of the paper cups vary in accordance with the use it is meant for. Mainly three types of lids can be found, the press on, the resealable ones and the heat seal foil ones. When the content is not to be consumed immediately a resealable lid is perfect. For small serving paper cups the heat seal foil may come into use.
Paper cup manufacturing is an effective cottage industry. A variety of paper cups are available in the market in various shapes and designs. Being eco friendly, it has an incredible demand among educated public. Also with paper cup Malaysia being hygienic, low cost, and simply available and having a huge variety, there is no reason why one should not be using it when cup requirements are in bulk.
MALEX Paper Products Sdn Bhd, the one stop portal for all your disposable paper packaging solutions. With over 30 years of manufacturing experience in paper cups and other packaging services, they have available an extensive range of paper cup sizes from 1.5oz up to 32oz size for cold drinks, hot beverage coffee cups in single and double wall, together with full range cup lids.