Manufacturing paper products produces uses 2.5 to 7 times more energy than plastics, paper mills are historically some of the worst producers of toxic waste (look up Pigeon River and http://www.cwac.net/paper_industry/). It's even worse if you look at the respective recycling processes.

Biodegradable does not mean disappear. It means that the material breaks down. Into what? The biodegrading of paper in a landfill releases one of the worst greenhouse gases, Methane. Paper is not as clean as you think.

The solution is not which, but not to let it get to the landfill (or ocean) in the first place and recycle.

*receives awkward stares*

Obviously garbage is garbage - regardless if it's biodegradable/recyclable - or neither - it's all garbage and it's a problem and bad for the environment whether it seeps into our earth or just sits there and takes up space... it's bad either way.

So the next big thing to consider and look at (that should be just as a big priority)... is to decide which is healtheir for people?

Obviously, it has been proven and banned in some states to use... "styrofoam"/polyestrene products have harmful chemicals that seep into your liquids/foods regarding hot and cold items versus using paper isn't as harmful and doesn't mess with your thyroid or cause you more of a risk for cancer.

Do people want to be cheap and worry about the environment? Or do you care about your health?

I think the point is paper practically don't degrade in most landfill environment. A paper cup will still be a paper cup after buried in a landfill for decades... then what's the point of it being biodegradable at all?

The point of the Eco Joe article is that you have to consider the total impact of paper cup vs. styrofoam cup (from production energy cost to quantity used to finally, biodegradability).

I crumple them up and throw them in along with the labels off tins, the cardboard slips on food packets, coffee grounds, mango stones, all uneaten food and peelings etc. Even meat, which you're not supposed to put on heaps works fine in the tiny quantities we ever leave.

What comes out of the bottom has no recognisable trace of paper cup.

I guess it depends on what kind of world we want: one with more paper waste (which is from a renewable resource and can be recycled if we're not too lazy about it) or more styrofoam waste (which is unsightly at best, toxic at worst). If people used the sturdier styrofoam cups more than once, you'd have a different argument. But since they usually go straight to the landfill, that's another story.

and Willo - many of the products you mention are listed as degradable because they are water-soluble, meaning that they break down into individual polymer molecules, which, although they are much larger than, say, a water molecule, are still much too small to be mistaken for food. They are often made from starchy, plant-based polymers instead of petroleum-based polymers. Also, plastic-eating bacteria may be closer than you think:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/pdfs/oct06_plastic_degradation.pd f

No need for that extra paper sleeve on your cup when using styrofoam.

Give me the better insulated, greener, cheaper choice any day.

Beware of plastics that advertise themselves as degradable. There are various kinds of bin liners, sandwich bags and freezer bags on the market and indeed they are just that. Merely degradable. All that means is that they break down into smaller pieces of plastic quicker than regular plastic, meaning that they poison smaller creatures more quickly than non-degradable plastics do. And when the plankton dies, we're all screwed.

Though, there are innovative styrofoam materials that are biodegradable as well, they're making their way into packaging materials quite strongly. However, I don't know if they're strong enough for hot liquids.