Cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment of single-use disposable and reusable cups

A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of the reusable glass cup and the single-use disposable Polypropylene (PP) cup was conducted. The environmental impacts of both glass cup and PP cup were obtained and compared. In weighing the impacts, the break-even points from both environmental and economic viewpoints were investigated. Both impacts show that the glass cup has already outperformed the PP cup on the 5^th day. Although the benefits are stark, consumer behavior will make a huge difference of whether using the reusable cups or disposable cups.