We have put together some information which we hope might be of some help.
Choosing the correct plastic vending cup
Automatic Vending Machines have two sizes of cup splitter mechanism (a cup splitter separates one cup from the cup stack when you make you beverage choice). The sizes relate to the rim diameter of the cup. The two sizes are 70.4mm and 73.4mm. The most common size in the UK is 73.4mm. The Vending Cup Manufacturers have made it easy for you to purchase the correct cup for your machine by giving the different sizes a different description.
- 70.4mm Vending Cups are described as Tall Cups i.e. 7oz Tall Vending Cup.
- 73.4mm Vending Cups are described as Squat Cups i.e. 7oz Squat Vending Cup.
The 9oz Vending Cup is only available with a 73.4mm rim diameter.
Before you purchase your Vending Cups you need to make sure which cup rim size your machine is set up for. If you use the wrong size the cups will not work in your machine.
What size of cup do you need?
If you are a little unsure of what size of cup you need then the following chart might help.
| Cup size in fl.oz |
Equivalent Cup size in ml. |
Cup size in ml |
Equivalent Cup size in fl.oz |
| 1 fl.oz |
28.41 ml |
25 ml |
0.88 fl.oz |
| 2 fl.oz |
57 ml |
50 ml |
1.76 fl.oz |
| 3 fl.oz |
85 ml |
100 ml |
1.76 fl.oz |
| 4 fl.oz |
114 ml |
150 ml |
5.28 fl.oz |
| 5 fl.oz |
142 ml |
200 ml |
7.04 fl.oz |
| 6 fl.oz |
170 ml |
250 ml |
8.80 fl.oz |
| 7 fl.oz |
199 ml |
300 ml |
10.56 fl.oz |
| 8 fl.oz |
227 ml |
350 ml |
12.32 fl.oz |
| 9 fl.oz |
256 ml |
400 ml |
14.08 fl.oz |
| 10 fl.oz |
284 ml |
500 ml |
15.84 fl.oz |
| 12 fl.oz |
341 ml |
600 ml |
17.60 fl.oz |
| 14 fl.oz |
398 ml |
650 ml |
21.12 fl.oz |
| 16 fl.oz |
455 ml |
700 ml |
24.64 fl.oz |
| 18 fl.oz |
511 ml |
800 ml |
28.16 fl.oz |
| 20 fl.oz |
568 ml |
900 ml |
31.68 fl.oz |
| 22 fl.oz |
625 ml |
1000 ml |
35.20 fl.oz |
Want to know more about the recycling of plastics?
In 1988 The Society of Plastics Industry decided to code all Plastics to enable Consumers and Businesses to sort their Plastic waste for Recycling. It was agreed that all the major Plastics would be number coded within a Recycling symbol.
We have put together the following table to help you recycle your plastic waste. We hope it helps. At the very least it will help you with discussions with your Waste Management Company.
| Plastic Code |
Description & Use |
 |
Polyethylene Terephthalate
Soft Drink Bottles, Food Containers, Smoothie Cups, Paper Cup Lining etc. |
 |
High Density Polyethylene
Milk Containers, Detergent Containers, Bleach Containers, Motor Oil Containers, Toys etc. |
 |
Polyvinyl Chloride
Pipes, Baby Bottle Teats, Shrink Wrap, Seat Covers, Vinyl Dashboards etc. |
 |
Low Density Polyethylene
Squeezable Bottles, Shop Carrier Bags, Wrapping Film etc. |
 |
Polypropylene
Cups, Microwavable Containers, Ridged Containers, Dairy Pots, Margarine Containers, Carpet etc. |
 |
Polystyrene
Cups, Cutlery, Foam Cups, Protective Packaging, Meat Trays etc. |
 |
Other Plastics including Polycarbonate and ABS and can be a mix of any of the below
Furniture, Electronic Equipment Casing, Baby Milk Bottles etc. |
Plastics can be recycled many times, in some cases as much as 20 times. They also have an energy value similar to Coal. This means that at the end of their recycled life they can be used to generate energy.