Cutting Down Plastic Waste By Using- Plastic?

Plastic waste is a considerable environmental problem. Plastics are made from petrochemicals, where drilling releases methane, a potent 'greenhouse gas'. Burning them in waste, releases carbon dioxide, another climate changer. Dumping plastics also gives rise to potentially hazardous microplastics. Most people, in developed countries, currently receive their hot or cold drinks in disposable cups. Enormous numbers are used. A trial is underway in Petaluma (near San Francisco, California), to see if serving drinks in purple, plastic, returnable cups, can reduce plastic waste. This study is important, as producing and cleaning most 'reuseables', carry heavy environmental impacts (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/24/petaluma-reusable-cup-project-california). Each 'Sip, Return, Repeat' cup in the study, has a trackable QR code to monitor results. Many Petaluma outlets now issue these containers, which are returned to 60 bins across the city. Cups are collected, rewashed and returned to the outlets. Other materials for making the cups, such as metal, ceramic and glass, were considered. Plastic was selected, however, because it's light, has good insulation properties and is relatively unlikely to break. The Petaluma project seems to have been enthusiastically taken up (Californians have recently had graphic illustrations of the negative consequences of climate change). Whether the trial is a success, however, depends on many factors. These notably include:- a) How many cups are returned; b) How many times a cup is reused and c) The environmental costs of washing and transport. Systems, like this, however, might work better in a small city, than in rural locations or a large metropolis?