Disposable paper cups, solution or an issue?

With the anti-plastic fever, bars and vending machines have replaced single-use polypropylene cups, restricted by the EU SUP Directive, with cardboard cups, also single-use, not included in the Directive. The point is that cardboard, unlike plastic, is not impermeable to liquids and therefore to be used as a glass it needs to be lined inside with a sheet that makes it waterproof, and do you know what this sheet is made of? Look at the fine print on this "sustainable" cup...that's right, plastic. But this is not all. That sheet is made of polyethylene, a less resistant plastic than the polypropylene of classic glasses, and according to a recent work (Ranjan et al.) when we pour a hot liquid on that sheet, thousands of microplastics are produced, which does not necessarily happen in the classic glass. My recommendation? Require that the coffee machine in your workplace can be used with everyone's cup, so we don't need disposable cups of any kind.

Bibliography: Ranjan, V.P., Joseph, A., Goel, S., 2021. Microplastics and other harmful substances released from disposable paper cups into hot water. Journal of Hazardous Materials 404, 124118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124118