These products are prevalent in fast food restaurants, takeaways, but also for airline meals. In private settings, this kind of disposable products has proven very popular with consumers who prefer easy and quick cleanup after parties, etc.[1]
The marketing for disposable tableware is huge, with an estimated $7.5 billion in 2012 in the US alone.[2]
A kulhar is a traditional handle-less clay cup from South Asia that is typically unpainted and unglazed, and meant to be disposable.[3] Since kulhars are made by firing in a kiln and are almost never reused, they are inherently sterile and hygienic.[4] Bazaars and food stalls in the Indian subcontinent traditionally served hot beverages, such as tea, in kuhlars, which suffused the beverage with an "earthy aroma" that was often considered appealing.[5]Yoghurt, hot milk with sugar as well as some regional desserts, such as kulfi (traditional ice-cream), are also served in kulhars.[6] Kulhars have gradually given way to polystyrene and coated paper cups, because the latter are lighter to carry in bulk and cheaper.[7][8]
Environmental impacts
As is the case for disposable cups, materials used are usually paper, plastic (including expanded polystyrene foam), or plastic-coated paper. Recycling rates are especially low for paper-based products, especially when soiled with (wet and / or oily) scraps due to diminished recyclate quality. The waste problem is aggravated by the fact that most of the utilities themselves come in plastic and thus disposable packaging.
Efforts are made to introduce biodegradable materials like sugarcane, bamboo, wheat straw, palm leaves, or various types of flours (rice, wheat and sorghum).[9][10][11] Nevertheless, biodegradable and composable plastics often do not break down in landfill environments.[12]
^Jasleen Dhamija (1970), Indian folk arts and crafts, National Book Trust, India, 1992, The simple clay kulhar, which is made in thousands as an inexpensive container for curd, sweets, tea or water, and after being used only once is thrown away, has the same form as those excavated at the Indus Valley or ...
^"Storm In A Kulhar". Outlook India. August 2, 2004. For those romantic souls who've regretted the loss of that earthy aroma and its replacement by the smell of plastic and detergent, railway minister Laloo Prasad Yadav is bringing back the bygone era ... kilns that use not only cowdung but also coal and wood.
^"Cakes and Desserts". bittersweetnyc.com. Bittersweet NYC. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 4, 2010. Kulfi (Indian Ice Cream) ... in India is traditionally served in Kulhars, unbaked terracotta ...
^Sonu Jain (July 6, 2004), "Why Laloo's kulhad isn't as green as he makes it out to be", Indian Express, Contrary to common perception, the red kulhad takes nearly a decade to return to its natural form ... "The water in the clay disappears and the salts melt into a glassy state and bind together making the clay stronger," said D Chakravorty, ceramic engineer at CGCRI. It takes a while before this salt, exposed to vagaries of nature, decomposes ...
^Venkatesh Dutta (September 4, 2010). "कुल्हड़ में चाय और लस्सी नहीं चली लालू की रेल में" [Kulhars for tea and lassi are a flop on Laloo's Railway]. Live Hindustan. वेंडरों को यह महंगा सौदा पड़ा, क्योंकि कुल्हड़ पॉलिथीन के कप से महंगा पड़ रहा था। कुल्हड़ का वजन भी ज्यादा होता है। नतीजा यह हुआ कि फिर पॉलिथीन की कप में चाय बिकने लगी [Vendors found this an expensive deal because kulhars are more expensive than plastic cups. Kulhars also weigh more. The result was that tea began selling again in plastic cups.]
