Paper cups are used everywhere: on trains, in schools, in offices, at hospitals and more. The exact origins of the paper cup seem to be unknown. Who initially thought of making a disposable beverage holder out of paper may never be known. What is known is that around the start of the 1900s, paper cups became popular when people began to realize that sharing the same tin or ladle, out of water barrels also meant sharing germs.
In 1907, a man named Lawrence Luellen developed what later became known as the Dixie Cup to help improve public hygiene. He then developed a water-vending machine with disposable cups and started to teach the public on the harms of sharing drinking glasses. As a matter of fact, Dixie Cups were initially called “heath kups” because their original purpose was to promote public hygiene. During the great American flu epidemic of 1918 paper cups rapidly grew in popularity as a means of avoiding infection.
Paper cups come in a multitude of forms. The 2 main groups are cups for hot beverages like coffee and tea and cups for cold drinks like sodas and milk. A paper cup is produced from paper or board, which is itself typically produced from sustainable forest resources, and a polyethylene sheet laminated with each other to form a single sheet. This sheet material is then shaped into a paper cup cylinder and the bottom sealed with a disc to create the standard disposable cup, which could be made in a variety of sizes from ‘espresso cups’ to tub shaped food containers.
Paper cups arrive in a variety of dimensions, shapes and colors, each basic and printed, from trustworthy producers. As they are light-weight, they can be easily carried about. They are meant to empower end users to hold the cup comfortably and appreciate the drink or beverage in the cup. One of the largest benefits of utilizing these cups is that they are disposable and decrease the hazards of catching infection. In addition, the tiresome tasks of rinsing can be avoided which is a wonderful benefit for food service stations searching to save time and cash. The major component of any paper cup is, by definition, the paper and it is easy to forget that cellulose fiber, the individual fibers used to produce a sheet of paper or board, is probably one of the world’s first and most abundant bio-polymers. Modern paper and board companies comply with the sustainable forest guidelines, such that for each tree taken down at least one replacement tree is planted. In this way the major constituent of the disposable cup, the cellulose, comes from a renewable resource.
As per coffee cup advertising, in order to maximize use of paper cups, cup dispensers should be used as well. Handy models of cup dispensers help store cups without damage and denting. These devices are indispensable in busy restaurants and other food service stations. They come in various capacities, with the ones intended for restaurant use much bigger in size as compared to those intended for home use.
