{"id":1213,"date":"2026-06-10T05:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/?p=1213"},"modified":"2026-09-03T04:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T04:27:45","slug":"reusable-cups-are-better-than-compostable-and-here-is-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/bettercup-blog\/reusable-cups-are-better-than-compostable-and-here-is-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Reusable cups are better than compostable and here is why"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Those \u2018compostable\u2019 cups you keep seeing at festivals, events and markets? Not as compostable as you might think!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"448\" height=\"530\" src=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lionolin-starbucks-5313533_1920-edited.jpg\" alt=\"Starbucks single use coffee cup in bin showing the environmental impact of single use and compostable coffee cups\" class=\"wp-image-4600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lionolin-starbucks-5313533_1920-edited.jpg 448w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/lionolin-starbucks-5313533_1920-edited-254x300.jpg 254w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:450px\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many \u2018bioplastics\u2019 i.e. compostable single use cups, need industrial scale composters to be able to break down as they are not accepted by many Councils\u2019 food and green waste services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compostable plastics can also contaminate recycling systems, and behave in a similar way to conventional plastics if littered, including our oceans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With only <a href=\"https:\/\/bioplastics.org.au\/composting\/commercial-composting\/#:~:text=There%20are%20around%20150%20Commercial%20Composting%20and%20Organics%20Recycling%20facilities%20in%20Australia.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">150 commercial composting facilities<\/a> across the whole of Australia, not every council is able to accept plant-based compostable cups, as they need to be selective in what they take.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While one suburb may accept bioplastics, another suburb a few streets down might not. They don\u2019t make it easy do they?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means compostable cups still create single-use, landfill bound waste.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:28px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Australian Council Residential Composting Facilities&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NSW: <\/strong>Not accepted<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Victoria: <\/strong>Not accepted<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>South Australia: <\/strong>Accepted in some councils&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Queensland:<\/strong> Not accepted<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Western Australia: <\/strong>Accepted in some councils<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tasmania:<\/strong> Accepted in some councils<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ACT:<\/strong> Not accepted<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>*The Northern Territory does not have any active FOGO facilities<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Out of 562 Australian councils, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.compostconnect.org\/councils\/#:~:text=only%2043%20accept%20compostable%20packaging%20in%20their%20residential%20compost%20collections.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>only 43 accept compostable packaging<\/strong><\/a><strong> in their residential compost collections.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An estimated 145,000 tonnes of plastic enters the environment in Australia each year. Plastic packaging is amongst the most harmful&nbsp; \u2013&nbsp; beverage containers make up almost 70% of all plastics alongside soft plastics and food packaging.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What\u2019s wrong with compostable cups:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>One of the main types of \u201ccompostable\u201d plastics is made from Polylactic acid (PLA, an industrial bioplastic. It is made from corn or sugarcane grown with intensive agricultural practices, which can contribute to ecological issues such as deforestation, water pollution, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Despite &#8220;compostable&#8221; products meeting the Australian standard for certification, a <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0284681#:~:text=polylactic%20acid%2C%20a%20so%2Dcalled%20biodegradable%20plastic%2C%20does%20not%20degrade%20in%20the%20marine%20environment%20for%20over%20428%20days.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">University of Queensland study<\/a> found polylactic acid, a so-called biodegradable plastic, does not degrade in the marine environment for over 428 days.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When plant-based packaging breaks down in landfill, it creates emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas, methane. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.compostconnect.org\/councils\/#:~:text=Organic%20waste%20in%20landfill%20generates%20methane%2C%20a%20greenhouse%20gas%20that%E2%80%99s%2028%20to%2036%20times%20more%20potent%20than%20CO2.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Methane is 28 to 36 times more potent than CO2.&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>PLA does not biodegrade at the same speed as other organic materials in composting facilities, which can lead to contamination of the final compost product.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1781070173325_114\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"515\" src=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PolylacticAcidManufacturedCups.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1215\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PolylacticAcidManufacturedCups.webp 790w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PolylacticAcidManufacturedCups-300x196.webp 300w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PolylacticAcidManufacturedCups-768x501.webp 768w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/PolylacticAcidManufacturedCups-600x391.webp 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why reusable cups are better than compostable cups:&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.vic.gov.au\/for-business\/waste\/waste-duties\/priority-waste\/your-duty-to-investigate-alternatives-to-waste-disposal#:~:text=with%20this%20duty.-,Applying%20the%20waste%20management%20hierarchy,-A%20simple%20way\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">waste management hierarchy<\/a> lists a preferred order for managing waste, where the most preferred actions are at the top and the least preferred are at the bottom of the inverted pyramid. Avoidance, at the top of the hierarchy, is the most preferred option, while sending waste to landfill is at the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before sending waste to landfill, consider opportunities higher up the hierarchy to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>avoid creating waste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reduce the amount of waste you create<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>reuse waste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>recycle waste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.vic.gov.au\/about-epa\/publications\/1559-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">generate energy<\/a> or extract valuable materials from waste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>contain waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not only does avoiding landfill have environmental benefits, but it costs less too. Trash ain\u2019t cheap!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" id=\"yui_3_17_2_1_1781070173325_125\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"976\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Zero-Waste-Landfill-Image-3.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Zero-Waste-Landfill-Image-3.webp 976w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Zero-Waste-Landfill-Image-3-300x202.webp 300w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Zero-Waste-Landfill-Image-3-768x518.webp 768w, https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Zero-Waste-Landfill-Image-3-600x405.webp 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One reusable cup can be used a whopping 300 &#8211; 500 times, or until it is no longer functional anymore and gets recycled. And 300 &#8211; 500 uses also means that far fewer single use cups head to landfill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.minderoo.org\/content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/27094234\/20211105-Plastic-Waste-Makers-Index.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Plastic Waste Makers Index<\/a>, Australians make more than 50 kilograms of plastic waste per person per year \u2013 which is more than anywhere else in the world. The need for reusables has never been more necessary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>After all, buying single-use cups essentially means we pay, only to throw it away.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bettercup.com.au\/bettercup-blog\/beyond-recycling-why-epr-in-australia-and-new-zealand-must-prioritise-reuse\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Those \u2018compostable\u2019 cups you keep seeing at festivals, events and markets? Not as compostable as you might think! Many \u2018bioplastics\u2019 i.e. compostable single use cups, need industrial scale composters to be able to break down as they are not accepted by many Councils\u2019 food and green waste services.&nbsp; Compostable plastics can also contaminate recycling systems, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1213"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4607,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1213\/revisions\/4607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hostingnucleo.com\/bettercup\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}