喝热饮时该用纸杯还是塑料杯

A survey commissioned by the ACC shows that in the 50 biggest U.S. cities, about 16% of the population is able to recycle food-service items made out of foam, compared with about 10% for paper.
美国化学理事会开展的一项调查显示，在美国前50大城市中，16%的人会回收泡沫塑料制成的食品容器，相比之下纸制的回收率为10%。

Indeed, paper cups aren't as environmentally friendly as they seem. Only about 11% of recycling plants in the U.S. currently can recycle them, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, because they are typically coated in plastic or have beverage residue. The lack of an 'easily recyclable cup designed for hot beverages' is one reason Dunkin' Brands is still weighing whether to switch to paper, Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer, said.
事实上，纸杯并不像看起来那样环保。美国林业及纸业协会的数据显示，目前美国只有约11%的回收站能够回收纸杯，因为它们通常有塑料覆膜或者有饮料残留。缺少“适合热饮的易回收的纸杯”是Dunkin' Brands仍旧在权衡是否换为纸杯的原因之一，首席公关卡伦・拉斯科普夫(Karen Raskopf)说。

'At this point, we don't know if our end solution will be paper or another material,' she added.
“现在我们还不知道最终解决方案会是纸还是其他材料，”她补充道。

Paper cups are slightly more expensive than foam, usually by a couple cents. Extras like double walls for insulation or plant-based lining to make it compostable add to the price.
纸杯比泡沫塑料一般贵几分钱。像双层隔热的或者内层为可分解植物材料的纸杯价格更高。

McDonald's has been using double-walled paper cups--which have a small pocket of air between them to increase insulation--at about 2,000 restaurants along the West Coast since 2012. Now it is expanding into the Midwest and parts of the East Coast, says Ian Olson, director of sustainability.
麦当劳从2012年起在美国西海岸的约2,000家餐厅使用双层纸杯，两层之间有空隙可容纳空气从而增强隔热效果。如今使用范围扩展到了中西部以及东海岸部分地区，可持续发展总监伊恩・奥尔森(Ian Olson)说。

While the paper cup is more expensive, McDonald's says it will make up the difference in the trash. Most of the chain's waste is paper-based--think wraps, fry cartons and Big Mac boxes--so paper cups can go into the same trash bin, and eventually into recycling bins.
麦当劳表示，尽管纸杯更贵，但它在垃圾处理方面的优势可以补偿其高价格。这家连锁餐厅的大部分垃圾都是纸制的──比如包装纸、薯条盒和汉堡盒──所以纸杯可以放入相同的垃圾桶，最终进入回收桶。

The main challenge for food companies is to find a cup that functions as well as plastic foam and doesn't cost the consumer more, said Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant industry analyst with consumer market research firm NPD Group. 'I think it really doesn't matter if it keeps everything hot and keeps everything cold and consumers don't have to pay extra for it,' she said.
食品公司面临的最大挑战是找到一款和泡沫塑料功能相同又不增加成本的杯子，消费者市场研究公司NPD集团的餐饮业分析师邦尼・里格斯(Bonnie Riggs)说。“我认为只要能保冷保热，而且消费者不用额外付钱，什么样的杯子都没关系，”她说。