A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life.
Hot drinks can be served in single-use paper cups or reusable stainless steel travel mugs.
The table below shows comparative data for these two containers.
| Single-use Paper Cup | Reusable Stainless Steel Mug | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw Materials | Wood pulp (from trees) and crude oil (to make the polyethylene lining). | Iron ore, nickel, chromium, and coal (for energy and carbon). |
| Manufacture | Pulping wood, extrusion of plastic lining, and heat-forming the cup shape. | Quarrying and mining ores, high-temperature smelting in a blast furnace at over 1400∘C1400^\circ\text{C}1400∘C, and machine stamping. |
| Transport & Use | Extremely lightweight. Designed for single-use before disposal. | Heavy. Durable and can be used thousands of times, but requires washing with hot water and detergent after each use. |
| Disposal | Difficult to recycle because the plastic lining must be separated from the paper; most are landfilled or incinerated. | 100% recyclable at the end of its life with no loss of material quality. |
Evaluate which container has the lower environmental impact for a person who consumes one hot drink per day over a year (approximately 250 drinks). Use the information in the table and your own scientific knowledge.