A paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined or coated with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world. The base paper for paper cups is called "cup board", and is made on special multi-ply paper machines. It has a barrier coating for waterproofing. The paper needs high stiffness and strong wet sizing. The cup board grade has a special design for the cup manufacturing processes. http://www.justarpack.com/paper-cup/

The pros of paper cups are that they break down quicker than plastic, they are affordable, come in a range of colors, can be recycled, are light, cheap, can hold hot and cold liquids and won’t break when you drop them. The cons of paper cups are that they can have a thin plastic coating which needs a specialty recycling facility, are single use and are often packaged in plastic. Paper cup pros include their low price, light weight and the fact they will break down quicker than plastic. http://www.nanwangpack.com/food-packaging/paper-cup/