Plastic Cups Research Articles

Reactivity to pseudorandom environmental patterns in woodlice: Effects of hydric deprivation and light exposure

Exploratory activity is an essential component of animal behavior, including among invertebrate species. This study examined the effects of hydric deprivation and their possible modulation by light exposure on locomotion and rearing-up behavior in two woodlice species, Porcellio scaber (Latreille 1804) and Armadillidium vulgare (Latreille 1804). It was also an attempt to replicate previous findings on the stimulation of these behaviors in P. scaber, exposed to (pseudo)random vs. regular visual and tactile patterns in a small enclosure. In Experiment 1, two groups of P. scaber and two groups of A. vulgare were exposed to randomly vs. regularly distributed visual (black and white) and tactile (grained and smooth) patterns for approximately 20 min. No rewards were present in the environment and the woodlice were tested without preliminary hydric deprivation. In Experiment 2, the same procedure was used but the woodlice were tested following a 20-min hydric deprivation under a bottle cap (darkness). Experiment 3 replicated this procedure with the 20-min hydric deprivation spent in a plastic cup (light exposure). The results of Experiments 1 and 3 provide partial replication with A. vulgare, but not P. scaber, of the previous findings: Random patterns stimulate rearing-up behavior on the apparatus’ vertical walls more than regular patterns. Also, a more aversive stimulation in Experiment 3 compared to Experiment 2, increased locomotion, especially in the random environment. The role of hydric deprivation and light exposure in the process of escaping from a hostile environment is discussed, as well as the effects of the treatments used in these experiments.

Sensitivity to imidacloprid insecticide varies among some social and solitary bee species of agricultural value.

Pollinator health risks from long-lasting neonicotinoid insecticides like imidacloprid has primarily focused on commercially managed, cavity-nesting bees in the genera Apis, Bombus, and Osmia. We expand these assessments to include 12 species of native and non-native crop pollinators of differing levels of body size, sociality, and floral specialization. Bees were collected throughout 2016 and 2017 from flowering blueberry, squash, pumpkin, sunflower and okra in south Mississippi, USA. Within 30-60 minutes of capture, bees were installed in bioassay cages made from transparent plastic cups and dark amber jars. Bees were fed via dental wicks saturated with 27% (1.25 M) sugar syrup containing a realistic range of sublethal concentrations of imidacloprid (0, 5, 20, or 100 ppb) that are often found in nectar. Bees displayed no visible tremors or convulsions except for a small sweat bee, Halictus ligatus, and only at 100ppb syrup. Imidacloprid shortened the captive longevities of the solitary bees. Tolerant bee species lived ~10 to 12 days in the bioassays and included two social and one solitary species: Halictus ligatus, Apis mellifera and Ptilothrix bombiformis (rose mallow bees), respectively. No other bee species tolerated imidacloprid as well as honey bees did, which exhibited no appreciable mortality and only modest paralysis across concentration. In contrast, native bees either lived shorter lives, experienced longer paralysis, or endured both. Overall, longevity decreased with concentration linearly for social bees and non-linearly for solitary species. The percentage of a bee's captive lifespan spent paralyzed increased logarithmically with concentration for all species, although bumble bees suffered longest. Of greatest concern was comparable debilitation of agriculturally valuable solitary bees at both low and high sublethal rates of imidacloprid.

Physical, thermal and functional groups’ characteristics of biofoam cup made from coconut fibre waste, soy flour and Rhizopus oligosporus

Biofoam is a replacement packaging for Styrofoam made from natural fibres that are naturally biodegradable and food-safe. Many studies use chemicals and starch as a matrix adhesive in the manufacture of biofoam. In previous studies, biofoam cups have been developed using the mold Rhizopus oligosporus which is found in coconut fibre. The objective of this study was to analyse the physical, thermal and functional groups’ characteristics in order to determine the most durable biofoam cup. The mixtures of fibre, tempeh mold, and soy flour were fermented for 3 days at 35°C in two stacked plastic cups and were dried for 46 hours at 50°C to stop the fermentation process. The biofoam cups were then analysed for the physical, thermal and functional groups’ characteristics. The most favourable characteristics of the biofoam cup is not easily destroyed and resistant to heat. The results showed that it had 0.08 g/cm3 ± 0.1 g/cm3 of density and 320.54°C of thermal gravimetry analysis. It also had a hydroxyl functional group (O-H) at wave number 3273.20 cm−1, an alkyl group (C-H) at wave number 2937.59 cm−1, a carbonyl group (C=O) at wave number 1654.92 cm−1, 1535.34 cm−1, and 1259.52 cm−1, and the C-O functional group at the wave number 1060.85 cm−1.

Marine debris in tourism area of Dodola Island Beach, Morotai Island District

Coastal and marine areas are very vulnerable to various pollution threats from human domestic activities (marine debris), industry (fishery management) and other activities. One of the the problems faced in the management of Dodola island tourism was marine debris. This study aims to determine the composition of marine debris generated from tourism activities. Futhermore this study was necessary as basic information to formulate appropriate strategies in managing marine debris. This research was conducted from August to September 2021. Observations were made by visual observation at porposive area. Analysis of the type and weight taken from the observed waste such as the number of pieces, weight, composition and density of solid waste and separated according to the type of organic and inorganic. This result showed inorganic waste such as plastic bottles and cups, plastic packages, Styrofoam, sandals/shoes, glass bottles, diapers, cardboard and aluminum cans with a total of 664 items or 58% pieces, while for organic waste consisting of wood, bamboo, coconut and nipa fruit and banana leaves, with the number of pieces as much as 473 items or 42%. Organic waste has a weight of 203,422 grams or 85% and organic marine waste is 35,915 grams or 15%. The types of organic waste with the highest and heaviest amounts were bamboo 70.51% and 73.77%. Meanwhile, the type of inorganic waste with the highest amount was plastic bottles/cups 79.17% and the heaviest type of waste was glass bottles 55.08%.Keywords:Marine debrisGPSOrganicInorganic

Resistance of rice <i>Oryza sativa </i>L.. doubled haploids to lodging for the far eastern breeding

The phenotypic variability of rice Oryza sativa L. androgenic doubled haploids lines (DH), intended for lodging resistance breeding, was studied. The lines used were obtained from F2 hybrids of the combinations Kitaets×(VNIIR23×Kenzo) - K×V×K (plants No. 26 and No. 28) and Don 4237× (Szorvasii 70× Heilunjiang) - D×Z×H (plant No. 8). Variety Primorsky 29 served as the standard. In 2020, DH lines and parental forms were grown under the conditions of a culture room in plastic cups filled with soil (temperature 25 °C, illumination 5000 lux, day 16 hours). In 2021 the seed offspring of the previous year were sown on the growing area in vessels 360×60 cm in size, 0.65 m3 in volume, filled with field soil. Each sample was sown in two rows, 25 plants per row. According to the ANOVA results, the DH lines and parental forms differed from each other in all characteristics in both years (p

Research on the Lifting Forces of Industrial Plastic Vacuum Cups

Industrial vacuum cups are used for lifting, holding and moving a wide variety of automated applications for handling semi-finished products and parts made of a wide range of materials - metal, glass, plastic, paper, wood, etc. and are used in a variety of industries. This paper presents some of the authors theoretical and experimental research on the maximum lifting force that different types of vacuum cups can achieve. The study was carried out on the basis of sizing recommendations made by manufacturers and dealers of these types of vacuum cups. The specially designed experimental stand was installed on the universal material testing machine LBG 100 kN and allowed the practical determination of these lifting forces provided by various types of industrial vacuum cups. Lifting force measurements were carried out with the AXIS FB 1k digital dynamometer attached to the machine. Vacuum cups of 3 different shapes and made of 3 different materials were used, using different vacuum depressions - 0.3 bar, -0.5 bar, -0.7 bar and -0.9 bar. The research aimed to determine by measurement the maximum lifting force of these types of vacuum cups applied to steel parts. The results obtained for these forces were compared with the calculated theoretical values, with the manufacturer�s recommended dimensioning values, and comparative conclusions were also drawn on the maximum lifting force provided by the different types of industrial vacuum cups studied.

Forest conversion into pasture selects dung beetle traits at different biological scales depending on species pool composition.

The conversion of forests into open areas has large effects on the diversity and structure of native communities. The intensity of these effects may vary between regions, depending on the existence of native species adapted to open habitats in the regional pool or the time since habitat change.We assess the differences in species richness and functional diversity of dung beetle communities (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) between native forests and novel pasturelands of the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, two biomes with contrasting histories of human occupation in Brazil. We conducted standardized surveys in seven forest fragments and adjacent pastures in each region and measured 14 traits in individuals collected in each type of habitat at each particular site. We calculated functional richness, functional evenness, functional divergence, and community-weighted mean of traits for each area, and analyzed individual variation through nested variance decomposition and Trait Statistics.Communities were richer and more numerous at the Cerrado. We did not find any consistent relationship between functional diversity and forest conversion beyond the changes in species diversity. Although landscape changes were more recent at the Cerrado, the colonization of the new habitat by native species already adapted to open habitats lessens the functional loss in this biome. This indicates that habitat change's effects on trait diversity depend on the regional species pool rather than on time since land conversion.Forest conversion effects were primarily due to internal filtering. The effects of external filtering only appear at the intraspecific variance level, with contrasting differences between the Cerrado, where traits related to relocation behavior and size are selected, and the Atlantic Forest, where selection operates for traits related to relocation behavior and flight. These results evidence the importance of considering individual variance to address the responses of dung beetle communities to forest conversion.

Hemocup blood feeder: An affordable and simplified blood-feeding device for maintenance of Aedes aegypti mosquito colonies in Sri Lanka

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease mainly transmitted by Aedes aegypti and disease control is primarily reliant on mosquito vector control strategies. In the failure of conventional vector control strategies, new strategies are being developed which specifically require the maintenance of mosquito colonies in the laboratories. Blood-feeding is an essential part of the routine colony maintenance of Ae. aegypti. Therefore, the current study was focused on developing a simplified artificial membrane-feeding device, “Hemocup” feeder out of affordable material. viz., plastic cups, styrofoam insulation system, parafilm-M, and preheated water to facilitate the Ae. aegypti artificial blood feeding. The performance of the device was compared to that of a commercially available blood-feeding device, “Hemotek”, by assessing the blood-feeding rate, fecundity, and egg hatchability. Similar blood feeding rates were observed for Hemocup and Hemotek methods (91.8 ± 1.6 and 94.3 ± 1.6 respectively>0.05) as well as comparable fecundity between the two methods (20.8 ± 0.7 and 22.0 ± 1.5 respectively; p > 0.05). Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference in egg hatchability between the two methods (91.9 ± 1.4 and 93.8 ± 1.4, respectively; p > 0.05). The results indicate that this simple Hemocup blood-feeding system can be used for routine colonization of laboratory strains of Ae. aegypti and for mass-rearing purposes.

Budikdamber akuaponik sebagai strategi ketahanan pangan dan stimulus kewirausahaan saat pandemi covid-19

During the Covid-19 pandemic, this civic duty project aims to increase community food security, particularly for the orphanage community. Given that the pandemic had been active for 2 (two) years and had an adverse effect on the local economy, this activity was conducted. The training exercise that was conducted involved training for fish growing in buckets (budikdamber). Additionally, food safety, Due to the fact that the outcomes of budikdamber can be sold, it can also be used as an entrepreneurial teaching tool. The Insan Harapan Child Orphanage (PSAA), located in Jl. Ahmad Yani no. 37/132 Gang Slamet II, Babakan Surabaya, Kiaracondong, Bandung 40281, hosted the events. Catfish, kale seedlings, special plastic buckets for cultivation, and a few plastic cups make up the ingredients and equipment. The orphanage's residents and managers are the subject of this research method's descriptive analysis. One day of instruction is followed by a few weeks of evaluation. It is anticipated that training outcomes will be put to good use for personal consumption and have a favorable impact on the economy both during and after the pandemic. The children and teenage residents as well as the administrators of the orphanage now have information and abilities that are highly helpful. It is hoped that aquaponics farming will endure and develop in the future.

Pola Pengurangan Sampah Dalam Angkutan Suroboyo Bus

Currently, online transportation has started to appear so that the many modes of transportation that exist at some point are able to make the problem of congestion unresolved. Usually traffic jams often occur on the main roads. This phenomenon finally made the Surabaya City Government issue a new policy, namely by providing public transportation services in the form of Suroboyo Bus. The existence of the Suroboyo Bus is also considered to have other positive impacts such as reducing the quantity of waste waste. Based on the illustration above, this study aims to reveal the pattern of waste reduction in the Suroboyo Bus transportation. This study used qualitative research methods. In addition, the data analysis technique in this study uses Miles and Huberman's data analysis. The data used is secondary data. Secondary data can be sourced from literary sources such as journals, articles, theses, books, websites or other supporting sources. The results show that the pattern of waste reduction is formulated through a payment system that uses waste such as bottles and plastic cups.

Efficacy of Argel (Solenostemma argel (Del) hayne) Shoots’ Extract in the Control of the Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum Herbst)

Laboratory studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy ofaqueous and organic extracts of the argel (S. argel) shoots against the 4thlarval instar and adult stages of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum)in the Sudan. Argel shoots were extracted sequentially by organic solventsof increasing polarity (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and ethanol) as wellas directly by distilled water or ethanol. Extracts were tested atconcentrations ranging between 1% and 10%. The evaluated efficacyparameters were mortality, repellency and antifeedant effects. The testswere conducted in Petri dishes (9 cm i.d) and plastic cups (capacity 200ml) and the obtained data were subjected to the analysis of variance and tothe probit analysis. The results of the mortality data indicated thatpetroleum ether extracts was the most potent against the 4 th larval instar ofT.castaneum as shown by its low LD50 of 8.2%, while ethyl acetateextract was the most potent against the adult of this pest with an LD50value of 16%. The results showed that various types of argel shootextracts induced significant dose dependent repellency against theT. castaneum. The highest 24 hours repellency was caused by thepetroleum ether extract on the adult stage of T. castaneum as indicated byits low ED50 value of 1.58%.The different argel shoot extracts inducedsignificant antifeedant action against the test insect. The lowest feedingratio (0.02) was recorded in ethyl acetate extract- treated crushed wheatgrains

CNCs extraction from single‐use cups: effects of grafting it onto MMA monomer

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe difficulty of separating fiber from polyolefin coatings of single‐use plastic (SUP) cups for cold (carbonated) or hot (coffee) drinks, has led us to investigate a recycling method to obtain new high‐performance materials. The present work relates to valorization of ICEE S.A. de C.V. cups into crystalline nanocellulose (CNC), while studying the effects on the structural, thermal, morphological and particle size properties in dependence of the acid hydrolysis concentration (40 and 64% v/v) employing sulfuric acid to remove amorphous cellulose.RESULTSOn the basis of results, optimal CNC was found at 64% v/v concentration obtaining ribbon‐like morphologies rich in cellulose types Iα (27%) and II (45.1%) of triclinic and monoclinic structures, respectively, high crystallinity percentage (91%) and nanosize scale (26.70 nm). CNC was successfully grafted through the C2 in cellulose onto the methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer to obtain PMMA‐g‐CNC, considering different concentrations (5, 10, 20 and 30 wt%) of CNC. A reduction of crystallinity % was found when CNC is grafted onto MMA owing to the amorphous nature of the poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). However, this is not a limitation.CONCLUSIONSPMMA‐g‐CNC samples displayed high thermal stability (345 °C) and nanometric scale (165–260 nm), which have potential to be studied as reinforcement agents for incompatible polymers such as PMMA and poly(urethane) (PU) through Interpenetrating Polymer Networks. Preliminary mechanical studies indicated that PMMA‐g‐CNC systems are able to reinforce the tensile properties becoming the PMMA/PU into ductile materials. Specially, the MMA90CNC10 system improved the strain four‐fold compared to the pure PMMA/PU IPN. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Ensuring sustainability in sensory sciences

Ensuring sustainability in sensory sciences

A toxicity study on Daphnia magna and Artemia salina: Are paper cups safe?

The objective of our study is to reveal the effects of paper cups sold under different brands on the aquatic test organisms, Daphnia magna and Artemia salina, which are frequently used in toxicity studies. To this end, survival rates of D. magna and A. salina individuals, which were kept alive after cooling in paper cups exposed to 20 °C and 80 °C, for 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours were determined. 
 Upon examining the results, while no significant decrease was found in the survival rates of D. magna and A. salina individuals kept in glassware, a significant increase was identified in the mortality rates of individuals kept in paper glasses, especially at 72 and 96 hours. It was determined that whereas the mortality rates reached 40% in paper and plastic cups exposed to 20 °C water, the mortality rates reached 70% in paper cups exposed to 80 °C water. Moreover, regression was found in the developmental and reproductive characteristics of D. magna and A. salina individuals, which were kept in paper cups exposed to water at different temperatures, compared to the control group and individuals in glass cups. We think that this was caused by microplastics or some chemicals released into the water due to the deterioration of the film layer on the inner surface of the glass, especially due to the high temperature.

UV-C treatments extend the postharvest quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ sweet cherries by protecting the physical and biochemical features of the fruits during the storage

Sustainable practices to extend the postharvest quality of horticultural products lead to cost-effective marketing during the prolonged season. Sweet cherries are among the most commonly consumed and traded fruits worldwide although they necessarily deteriorate after harvest. In the present study, the effects of UV-C irradiation in different application durations along with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on quality maintenance of the ‘0900 Ziraat’ sweet cherries were investigated for two years (2018 and 2019). The fruits were divided into six application groups; (1) storage in plastic cups control, (2) using MAP (Xtend®) packages, (3) 5 min UV-C exposure, (4) 10 min UV-C, (5) 20 min UV-C, and (6) 30 min UV-C irradiation. Treatment of UV-C was performed at a 15 cm distance using a metal cabinet equipped with 8 UV-C lamps of 15 watts, 230V/50Hz at 254 nm wavelength. The sweet cherries were stored at 1 °C and 90% RH for 35 days. At the end of the storage, the greatest weight loss occurred in the control fruits, while the lowest loss was obtained from the fruits subjected to 10 min of UV-C for both years. Also, 10 min of UV-C provided the highest firmness value for both years. This treatment also has better effects on maintaining several quality features such as pedicel chlorophyll content, titratable acidity in fruit juice, and total phenolic contents compared to the control fruits. General findings indicated that 10 min UV-C irradiation would be a beneficial practice for extending the general quality features of ‘0900 Ziraat’ sweet cherry during cold storage up to 35 d.

RULA BASKET (SEAWEED BASKET): THE UTILIZATION OF RECYCLED PLASTIC WASTE TO BE CREATED ECONOMIC VALUE PRODUCT

The utilization of plastic waste can lead to innovation the support of economy and creativity peoples. The upcycling of plastic cup waste into handicraft supplies is one of the solutions to minimalize plastic cup waste around the coast. The making of Rula Basket is aimed to change the people's mindset on how to make use of waste plastic cups into an alternative to seaweed basket that is made of rattan, as well as to create a positive activity for women's empowerment in the coastal area. The research methods used Descriptive analysis. Developing Rula Basket is expected to be one of the women empowerment ventures to increase the economy by recycling plastic cup waste into appropriate products with economic value. This measure was also carried out to preserve the aquatic ecosystem in Tablolong Beach, Tablolong Village, West Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara.

Predation efficiency of the carnivorous aquatic plant Utricularia australis against Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus larvae: Implications for biological control

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, one of the world’s worst invasive animal species and competent vector of many arboviruses, poses a serious threat to human health. An effective and environmentally friendly control strategy is required to mitigate the negative impacts of this pest. The aquatic carnivorous plants of the Utricularia genus, known as bladderworts, feed on invertebrates using their modified leaves as traps (bladders) and could be considered for biological control. The southern bladderwort, U. australis, was used in a no-choice experiment to test its predation ability against Ae. albopictus larvae. Larvae were divided in two size groups: 1st–2nd and 3rd–4th larval instars. Twenty Ae. albopictus larvae were placed inside 1 l plastic cups with a 30 cm long segment of the plant and left for a 7-day period. Twelve segments of U. australis were used, six for each larval size group, counting the number of bladders of each segment at the beginning of the experiment. The 7-day process was repeated five times for each segment/cup over a two-month period. The number of captured larvae and emerged adults was recorded daily. A total of 84 captured larvae were chosen to measure larval length, percentage of larval body trapped within the bladder, bladder perimeter and bladder area, in order to evaluate the ability of the bladders in capturing larvae, by complete or partial suction of the body, depending on the relative sizes of larvae and bladders. Results indicated that U. australis is an effective predator of Ae. albopictus larvae, with a higher efficiency against the 1st–2nd instar group (72%) compared to the 3rd–4th group (39%). The number of captured larvae depended on the number of bladders on each segment and instar group. The percentage of trapped larval body depended on the relationship between bladder size and larval length. Although the bladders effectively captured small larvae by complete suction of the body, they also killed 3rd–4th instar larvae by trapping a small portion of the body within the lumen. The plant segments continuously captured mosquito larvae, with an efficiency that did not decrease during the 2-month period. The use of U. australis as a biocontrol agent against Ae. albopictus larvae could be favoured by its ecological plasticity, broad distribution, its ability to thrive in small containers and the good overlap of the two species regarding phenology and habitat preferences.

Are there pico(nano)-plastics in a polyethylene coated paper cup?

As problems associated with microplastics that may be harmful to the human body continue to emerge, various eco-friendly materials are being used as alternatives to plastic. One of them is to use paper cups instead of plastic cups. However, they cannot be used without water-proof coating since paper cups do not have water-proof capability. Therefore, polyethylene (PE) is mainly used as a coating material. However, there are some issues with some of the polyethylene coating that may come off and dissolve when exposed to liquid. Currently, many studies have shown that nano/microplastics in several tens of nanometers are present and many of their potential risks have been studied. However, microplastics in smaller sizes have yet to be clarified, precluding the further investigation of their effects or potential risks. If there were nanoplastics in several tens of nanometers, these would not be detected because they were difficult to measure with general instruments. In this study, a lipid bilayer and pore proteins were used to detect pico/nanometer-size plastics in PE-coated paper cups. These were measured by changes in current as they passed through the pores, and plastics smaller than the pore size was detected when they pass through the pore protein or interfere with the ion current. We also found that some particles could block the pore. Not only paper cups containing hot water, but also that containing water in room temperature were detected in a smaller frequency. Because of their hydrophobic properties, they can be inserted directly into the hydrophobic region of cell membrane, and potentially passing through channel proteins, such as ion channels, or blocking the channel proteins, resulting in dysfunction and cell death.

First report of marine debris in Car Nicobar, a remote oceanic Island in the Nicobar archipelago, Bay of Bengal

This study forms the first record to systematically quantify and classify the marine debris from Car Nicobar Island. Car Nicobar is a small remotely located Island in the Nicobar archipelago that is largely inhabited by Nicobarese indigenous people for ages. Considering their remote location and lack of baseline information on marine debris, we surveyed ten beaches in Car Nicobar to study the prevalence of marine debris. A total of 1438 debris items were recorded from the surveys of which plastic debris was found dominant (83.72%). Among the plastics, nets/ropes (38.87%) were found to be dominant followed by plastic bags, plastic bottles, polypropylene woven bags, plastic cans, floaters, and plastic cups. The number of debris was found to be highest in Malacca Jetty (7.2 nos/m2) and least in Mus Jetty (1.28 nos/m2). Land-based debris items from recreational and shoreline activities constituted majorly (54.52%) followed by sea-based sources such as shipping, fishing, and dumping activities (45.48%). Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) revealed that Malacca Jetty exhibited a distinct pattern of debris accumulation. Kriging interpolation was applied to understand the possible prevalence of marine debris around the coast of Car Nicobar Island. Plastic debris belonging to nearby countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, etc. was also recorded in our surveys. Shipping-based debris could be a probable source of foreign debris due to the proximity of the Nicobar archipelago to the Strait of Malacca, being one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. The baseline information generated from this study could assist the decision-makers to initiate proactive measures toward effective management of marine debris on Car Nicobar Island.

Sipping tea, plastics performing: representational and materialist politics of boba tea consumption in contemporary China

AbstractIn a single serving of boba tea, the non-human actors of the tall plastic cups, plastic dome lids, and the giant plastic straws dominate, but receive little attention. This article uses recent theories and discussions of new materialism to bring together cultural analysis of the boba tea consumption phenomenon that could be relevant for reflecting on a sustainable future. The article contributes to social research of waste by focusing on the mediating functions of plastic before it becomes waste. My central argument is that plastic is not merely a physical and impartial container in the contemporary food and beverage industry. It plays an indispensable role in the visualization, mass mediation, and consumption of the boba tea beverage. While current waste research often focuses on the “afterlife” of plastic waste as it relates to underclass waste workers, recycling economy and global waste trade, this article highlights the performative function of plastic as it changes the way we imagine time, gender, and waste. I show it is the plastic cup that enables boba tea to be so visually and gastronomically satisfying in an age when the photogenicity and “Instagrammability” of food and beverage have become more relevant to taste and distinctions.