What does the consumer know about the environmental damage caused by the disposable cup and the need to replace it

TL;DR

This study assesses consumer awareness of environmental impacts of disposable cups in Arandas, Jalisco, and explores willingness to adopt biodegradable edible gelatin cups as an alternative, highlighting social and economic considerations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into local consumer habits and attitudes towards biodegradable edible cups made from gelatin as an alternative to plastic disposables.

Findings

High usage of plastic cups during local events.

Consumers are willing to change habits if economic impacts are minimized.

Potential acceptance of edible gelatin cups as an environmentally friendly alternative.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to know the amount and frequency with which the people of Arandas in the Altos de Jalisco region use disposable cups and then know how willing they are to use edible cups made with natural gelatin. In this regard, it is worth commenting that these can not only be nutritious for those who consume them (since gelatin is a fortifying nutrient created from the skin and bone of pigs and cows), but they could also be degraded in a few days or be ingested by animals. To collect the information, a survey consisting of six questions was used, which was applied to 31 people by telephone and another 345 personally (in both cases they were applied to young people and adults). The results show that the residents of that town considerably use plastic cups in the different events that take place each week, which are more numerous during the patron saint festivities or at the end of the year. Even so, these people would be willing to change these habits, although for this, measures must be taken that do not affect the companies in that area, which work mainly with plastics and generate a high percentage of jobs.