How much do you know about paper coffee cups, waste, and recycling? Read this short Q&A to find out.

A: Cardboard, with a thin layer of plastic tightly attached to the cup. The thin layer of plastic, called polyethylene, keeps heat in and prevents the cup from getting soggy.

A: Most facilities can't recycle paper cups because they are two-dimensional coated packaging and the process to separate the polyethylene from the cup stock paper board has proven to be difficult. Polyethylene is considered a contaminant and it is not recyclable through the paper waste stream in a recycling facility. During the sorting process cups are sent to the landfill for this reason.

A: 23 lbs. In fact, Recycling Advocates estimate that 50 million disposable cups are used per year in the metro area of Portland, Oregon. This equates to 3 million pounds of solid waste and 6,000 metric tons of CO2 being generated.

A: Pick-up, sorting, re-pulping, screening, de-inking, and new products. Recycling seems simple but there are multiple steps, as well as factors that affect the recycling process, such as local government policies and access to recycling markets such as paper mills and plastic processors.

A: TRUE - Any ink printed on the paper packaging is removed during the repulping and recycling process to make a new paper sheet. 

A: 17 trees. Every ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, as well as 4,100 kWh of electricity, 380 gallons of oil, 4.6 cubic yards of landfill space and 7,000 gallons of water.