REUSABLE PLASTIC CUPS: THE WASHING ISSUE
Winterhalter’s four point plan for getting the best results
More and more operators are using reusable plastic cups for their beverage service. From coffee shops to care homes to football stadia to pubs to event caterers, their practical advantages are winning new applications constantly. However, there’s an issue: washing them. The way they perform and react are radically different from the crocks, glassware and cutlery that operators are used to washing in their dishwashers and glass washers.
Now Winterhalter has put together guidance covering the four key points that operators need to consider.
- The rack – washing plastic cups in a normal rack will lead to them flipping over and filling up with washwater. What’s required is a dedicated rack that is designed to hold the cups in place – for example, with Winterhalter’s special rack the cups are held in place by a bracket, so they can’t flip. There’s a separate insert to hold and clean lids, too. Alternatively, Winterhalter offers a cup washing insert that can be used in conjunction with its standard 500mm x 500mm racks.
- Drying – anyone who has washed plastic cups in a dishwasher knows they take an age to dry. What’s required is rinse aid specially formulated to make water run off the plastic, so it dries quickly, as is the case with Winterhalter’s B170 XD rinse aid.
- Staining – if plastic is left to dry using ordinary rinse aid, the water will probably leave stains. Again, a rinse aid that’s specially formulated for plastics should stop this.
- Temperature – the right temperature is critical with any dedicated warewasher – glasses need to be rinsed at a different temperature to dishes and so on. With plastic, the ideal tank temperature is 70°C
Winterhalter recently published a software update for its UC undercounter models (from 2018 onwards) that includes a reusable plastic cup washing program with parameters set to achieve the best possible results.
“For plastic cups, it’s all about washing parameters plus chemicals plus the rack,” says Paul Crowley, marketing development manager at Winterhalter UK. “Once those elements are right operators will find their dishwasher or glass washer will deliver the same levels of performance as they get with non-plastics.”