Sacrament cups recycling

I am trying to find out what type of plastic the plastic sacrament cups are. I know they are made from recycled plastic, but I need to know what the final plastic is categorised as, so I can recycle it correctly.

Can anyone help?

Thankyou

Other than "plastic" and "they may be placed in recycling bins after use," nothing is listed on the online store that I could find. You might use the feedback link at the bottom of the page after you log in to the online store and ask. Surely someone who procures these will know what kind of plastic they are...

anneliddicott wrote:I am trying to find out what type of plastic the plastic sacrament cups are. I know they are made from recycled plastic, but I need to know what the final plastic is categorised as, so I can recycle it correctly.

Can anyone help?

Thankyou

You might want to check with your sanitation/recycle company.
In my area they now accept only limited item.
Corrugated cardboard, newspaper, cans, and 1/2 and 1 gallon milk/water/juice jugs only.
No cereal boxes, no printer paper, no soda or water bottles etc.
This is due to changes in what the foreign recylers will accept.

Also I am guessing that the small cups were not actually being recycled even if they were accepted by your recycle co.........

As members it is our responsibility to look after the planet.
Please could somebody answer the question about which recycling facility of plastic we need to.put the used sacrament cups in the UK please.
It's no good saying they are recyclable ..not all plastic is equal..
Thankyou
I look forward to the reply.

lindseyblackman wrote:As members it is our responsibility to look after the planet.
Please could somebody answer the question about which recycling facility of plastic we need to.put the used sacrament cups in the UK please.
It's no good saying they are recyclable ..not all plastic is equal..
Thankyou
I look forward to the reply.

This forum is user-to-user mutual help. It is not an official support arm of the church. Unless someone who knows happens to stumble on your question, you will likely not receive a satisfactory reply. The online store still does not list the plastic material, other than stating they are recyclable. In a google search, I found a video put out by the church on how they are made - I did not watch the video but perhaps it will give you some hints at the material they are made from: http://www.ldsliving.com/Video-Ever-Won ... ok/s/82581

I have not inspected the cups - are they embossed with a recycle symbol on the bottom that indicates the material as many products are? Your clerk could request information on the materials used through the Global Service Desk and they may be able to provide it. Paper cups are also available (at least in the US) so that is an option, though at a significantly higher cost to the ward/branch budget.

I have asked this question to the global service center, and have been waiting 7 months for a response.

Paper cups are okay, but they do not fit in the sacrament trays properly, and the older members find them difficult to use as they are not so rigid

I wonder if you were to ask the question as feedback from the sacrament cup order page on the online store, you might get a response from them? If the church has an outside company manufacture them, getting a request to the quality department at that manufacturer would probably result in a viable response.

Personally I like the paper cups better but imagine they could be problematic for members who have limited dexterity in their hands.

I asked the question on the online store. Here is the response I received today:

"Thank you for contacting Distribution Services. Other than the fact that the cups are recyclable I do not have any information on what materials are used in the manufacturing process. I will see if I can find out more information from our second level support team."

If I receive another response I will post it here.

I received a follow-up response and the help ticket has been closed. This is the most they can provide from the online store (I realize it is not good enough for those who insist on knowing the exact material, but unless someone knows how to contact the manufacturer directly, it's probably the best you will receive).

"I have heard back from our Tier II team and the only information we currently have available is that the materials are a food grade plastic. We may have more information available in the future but, unfortunately that is all I have for you right now."

davesudweeks wrote:but unless someone knows how to contact the manufacturer directly

The Church manufactures them from already recycled plastic. 1.5 million cups a day. You are looking for the SPI code, which is probably 1 or 4. I would lean toward 1, but there is no way to know from the information I have.

The GSC won't know, but Tier II may be able to find out. You might mention that you are trying to find the proper SPI code or your recycler will not accept the material. SPI code 1 is polyethylene terephthalate. SPI code 4 is low-density polyethylene.

lajackson wrote:

davesudweeks wrote:but unless someone knows how to contact the manufacturer directly

The Church manufactures them from already recycled plastic. 1.5 million cups a day. You are looking for the SPI code, which is probably 1 or 4. I would lean toward 1, but there is no way to know from the information I have.

The GSC won't know, but Tier II may be able to find out. You might mention that you are trying to find the proper SPI code or your recycler will not accept the material. SPI code 1 is polyethylene terephthalate. SPI code 4 is low-density polyethylene.

Good information for the forum. I don't need to know myself - was just trying to assist those who were complaining that the recycling information was not being provided by the church and they needed it.

Even if we can find out what type of plastic the cups are made from, they are unmarked. So the recycler is not going to know what type of plastic is used and if they are recyclable without some kind of testing.

Again I am skeptical that the cups are actually being or would be recycled even if they were recyclable. Probably depends on if the sorter machines can handle such small items?

Also my building has no recycle bins so anything to recycle must be brought home. I sometimes bring cardboard home to recycle in my bin

I've also thought about recycling the cups. I know they are made from PET plastic like water bottles.

abobelenyi wrote: Tue Apr 06, 2021 4:16 am I've also thought about recycling the cups. I know they are made from PET plastic like water bottles.

How do you know they are "PET plastic like water bottles"? That would make it #1 plastic, which would be the answer everyone here is looking for. PET (#1) is my best guess, as well, but nothing says so. I did submit a request to the online store support and got the following response:

Thank you for contacting Distribution Services.

We apologize for the delay in our response. I submitted a request to our team for more information regarding the type of plastic. However, I was just informed that we do not have that information here, and that all we have access to is the same information quoted on the Online Store stating that the cups are recyclable.

We are sorry we are not able to answer your question more exactly.